The Girl with the Crimson Wings
by blackcatgirl
Summary: Sequel to 'An Angel, a Devil, and the Akatsuki.' A girl is suddenly transported to a strange world while on a class trip. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki has received a request from a pair traveling from a distant country. Two fates will start to converge, red and white, and an ordinary girl will have to make her choice. Is Tenshi really beyond reach?
1. Alice, the Machine, and the Request

Hello once again! It might have taken a while, but as we're technically still in summer, I cannot be accused of being late. At any rate, here it is, folks. The sequel to An Angel, a Devil, and the Akatsuki; if you somehow wandered in here without knowing what you were doing (in that case, hi), I suggest you go an read that one. While this can be read (sort of) without too much prior knowledge, you will only be able to appreciate it fully if you have some context. If you should disregard this warning, I will not be responsible for any confusion or frustration this story may cause.

Also, I'm only doing this once, though it should be obvious: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make money off of this.

As always, suggestions, comments, praise, or criticism are encouraged. Reviews make the author happy, folks!

And so, without further ado, I present 'The Girl with the Crimson Wings.'

* * *

"_I think I've found a way to travel. Go there, I mean."_

"_As thanks for entertaining me so much, I will give you a gift. For the next time you die."_

"_She's been here since mommy went away. Mommy said she saw her all the time, and now I see her too. She's always here. She doesn't talk much, but today, she's been watching."_

"_The girl in the mirror."_

"Who is it?" I mumbled from the depths of sleep. "Who is the person in the mirror?"

'_You'll figure it out soon.'_

"Can't you give me a clue?"

'_Hum . . . let's say the girl in the mirror gave you wings. Bright, beautiful, blindingly white wings.'_

"How is that relevant?"

'_I can't say yet. You'll have to give them back to her, very soon, for the sake of turning red into white.'_

"I don't really get what you're saying. When I figure out who she is, I'll give her wings back to her?"

'_That's right. Everything will depend on you.'_

"Is that so? Then I'd better get going."

I opened my eyes to the sound of my alarm. Without thinking, I grabbed it and flung it into my closet. It didn't stop ringing. I sat up, fully awake now, and saw that I had missed; I'd flung a picture frame instead. I punched the alarm clock and jammed my glasses on my nose. Now I could actually see.

I quickly kicked off my pajamas and searched for something to wear. In my closet, I was greeted by the familiar mass of black, and sullenly grabbed whatever was handy. I ended up in my usual jeans, baggy black shirt, and converse shoes. I sat down in front of my dresser, braided my hair, and sprawled my arms on the top. In the mirror, my reflection glared back at me. Under the glasses, I could see deep bruises under my eyes, from staying up playing video games too late. My skin was sallow, my hair like straw, my blue gray eyes too sharp to be pleasant to look at. The girl with the awkward expression and the unnaturally untamable hair looked back. A lock of hair popped up on its own.

That was me. Some random teenager. Interests: games, science, reading; boyfriend: non-existent; dislikes: loud noises, getting up in the morning, sweets; friends: a couple; favorite color: blue. I could say with certainty, at that moment, that there was nothing unusual or interesting about me at all. I stared at my reflection in the glass. I had a vague sense that I had seen an important dream, but I dismissed it. Dreams were often bizarre, and rarely meant anything.

I was exhausted. A new game had come out last week, and I just had to go and buy it . . . blew the last of my allowance on it, too. And the ending sucked. That really wasn't worth staying up three consecutive nights. Especially since today was so important. We were going on a field trip to the Blanche Institute of Technology, the most advanced research center in the country, its attached university the top ranked for science. It was a place I had only dreamed of going to.

I abruptly stood and looked at the clock. It ticked peacefully away, a little sturdy gadget that had survived all this time, waking me up, driving me up the wall. I glared at it. Stupid thing. I threw it at the door. It opened, and the person had to quickly duck to avoid a mouthful of springs and plastic. He straightened back up with an eyebrow cocked, and yawned.

"Alice, mom says to stop making a ruckus this early, and to go down and eat breakfast before she throws it out the window." he said in a monotone voice, expression never changing. His pitch black hair stood up in all directions, his brown eyes could have convincingly passed for those of a dead fish, and his clothes were so rumpled I hoped he wouldn't step out of the house like that. I stood and grabbed my bag.

"Her exact words?" I asked, eyes narrowed. I pushed my glasses up with my middle finger.

"Her exact words." He yawned, and wandered off somewhere.

I made my way down the hall, grabbing my jacket as I went. I got to the kitchen where my mom was making breakfast. I pulled a chair and sat down, grabbing the paper folded on the table. My dad was at work already, and my mother wore a suit under her apron; it was her turn to cook today. Her black hair pulled back in a bun, and her brown eyes slid to me as she turned and set some eggs in front of me. She got the toast, and poured some apple juice.

"Thanks," I said, taking a bite. "Since it's my turn tomorrow, want me to make pancakes?"

"Don't get up too early, sweetie. You've got school."

"It's fine if I make the batter the night before." I shrugged. My brother came into the room, dressed a little bit more neatly. He and my mom really looked alike; I was the only one in the family with blond hair, but that was normal. After all, I was adopted.

"Jason, eat your food." Mom pushed him down in a chair and put his meal in front of him. He blinked sleepily at him. I chuckled to myself and ate as she tried to wake him up a bit more.

I ate breakfast; I read the newspaper; I packed my lunch; I pushed my brother around when he wouldn't move out of the hallway; I ran out the door, a little late, down the elevator and out of the apartment building, to catch the train. I was ordinary. Really, there was nothing about me that stood out, or that was special, or anything like that. I lived an ordinary life, with an ordinary family that had adopted me at the age of five.

I breathed out as I got off the train, out of the station, validating my card as I went, and ran up to the fountain in the middle of the plaza. I'd been afraid I would be late, but I was the first one there. I sat down on the edge of the fountain and looked around a bit, leaning forward with my fist under my chin. My hair, several strands jumping out of my braid, framed my face. This place was pretty, a bit dull, and the benches around the edges next to the colored glass plaques were completely empty. I was alone with the slight wind and the swaying trees. The shuttle was there, waiting in the terminal for all the students to assemble before departing. I was early; a bit before eight. We'd be off soon. The heat was oppressive today, the sun already shining harshly. I was sweating in my black clothes.

"Alice!" I heard someone call, and turned around. My friend Erica ran up to me. She paused and surveyed me for a second. "Aren't you hot?"

"Duh." I said, leaning back a bit.

"Geez, you need to go shopping." She plopped herself on the edge of the fountain and crossed her legs. She was a tall girl, with brown hair in a ponytail, wearing shorts, a pink tank top, and flip-flops. You could say she was appropriately dressed.

"I hate shopping."

"Well, it shouldn't matter for today. The center will have air-conditioning. Oh, I have something for you. For your birthday. It's today, isn't it?" She pulled a small package wrapped in shiny blue paper out of her messenger bag.

"No. It was last week."

"Eh? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't think reaching seventeen years of age is that great an accomplishment." I took the package out of her hands. She complained some more while I opened it. Inside was a thin book with an illustration on the cover, and the number 31. The title was 'Naruto.' It was old as all hell, so much that I could barely see the illustrations inside. I was surprised. I hadn't seen an actual book in years.

Erica watched my reaction with interest. "What 'ja think? Cool, huh?"

" . . . What is it?"

"Eh? You don't know? It's called a manga!"

"Say what? A comic book?" I made a face. Who still reads this stuff? And in hard copy?

"A _Japanese_ comic book. This is an original edition from 2008. It was really popular back then." she said.

"That's great and all . . . but why number 31? If you couldn't get the first volume, you could've just bought it in digital format."

"I couldn't find it. Nobody sells manga anymore, not online, anyway." She sighed and kicked at the pavement under her feet. "It's such a shame! I asked the shop owner, and he said the author died in the war, before it could be completed. It's been out of print for the last two decades. Ah! Be still my collector's heart!"

"I didn't know you were interested in Japan. Isn't it underwater now?" I flipped through the volume. The drawings were well-done, dynamic, but I could hardly make out the dialogue. It was some kind of a fight. There were several characters, but two in particular drew my attention. They were on the cover, so I had a better idea of what they looked like. I ran my finger over a drawing of the one with red hair. Red clouds on a black field . . . a puppet . . . a man with long blonde hair . . . red eyes . . .

"Alice!" I jumped. Erica was frowning at me. "Are you listening?"

"No." I said. I put the book away. "Thanks for the gift, but you should have kept it. Or give it to Kyra, she loves Japanese stuff."

"Nah, I'm sure I'll find another copy somewhere . . . and Kyra and I don't get along." She huffed, her cheeks puffed up. "I'd rather save my money and collect the old iPhones."

"Why? That's completely outdated technology."

"That's why it's fun!"

We killed some time until the rest of the class arrived; there were twenty-eight of us total. Irene and Shane, our other friends, arrived pretty quickly so we stood around, chatting, until the teacher had us board the shuttle. The two were brother and sister, fraternal twins; they had wavy dark blond hair, brown eyes, the same cute face with a mischievous smile, and ever since they were little loved swapping places. Even now, if they cross dressed it was hard to tell them apart. Irene had a white skirt with red leggings and sandals; he wore short tan pants and sneaker; their t-shirts were the same, white with a smiley face. Shane was cooler, more collected, while Irene loved to play and was more boisterous. We'd all been friends since school had started, back when we were six.

The three had a passionate talk about where they wanted to go for higher studies after school was over. This was our last year. Next spring, we would be adults, if we could pass the exam.

The ride was an hour long, taking us from the East to the West coast of the United States, and up a little north, to Washington State. I read the comic book Erica had given me, or what little I could make out of it. As we neared out destination, we saw it as we zoomed by; a great white dome cutting into the blue sky, huge reactors exuding water vapor, and towers, all connected by thousands of wires. The wires were out of use now, but once they were needed to provide power to the facility. Back then, you needed a physical medium to transport energy, and dismantling them all would have been a pain, so the wires were just an exhibit, and a backup system in case the satellites failed. The white and steel gray looked inorganic and cold against the sky. There was no greenery, only chain link fence and concrete runways. Outside, I could see the small mass of figures, holding signs and yelling, calling for the facility to be shut down. Just some more anti-science, anti-technology, anti-war loonies.

Then, other buildings came into view, and those were much more reassuring. Old architecture from the early decades of the century, buildings made of red brick with arches on the ground floor, parks with trees and bushes; that was the university campus attached to the facility. It was renowned worldwide for its research. I felt excitement upon seeing it; we were scheduled for a visit after lunch. In the morning, we would be seeing the facility itself, which Doctor Blanche had designed, and where she had worked until her death.

My friends kept chatting, but I looked out the window, mesmerized. We shot into the tunnel and I was suddenly confronted with my own reflection. I turned away.

We arrived, and got off. The terminal was the same as the outside, everything white, grey, and made of metal. We were greeted by a young man in a lab coat, his dark hair already beginning to turn gray, with a plastic clearance badge on his lapel. After introducing himself as Doctor Blackrow and giving us a rundown of today's schedule, ID badges were passed around so we could go in. Our bags were checked, we were scanned, and we went in.

"This is so cool!" squealed Irene, her skirt flapping as she ran around. Erica chuckled. We were led down a corridor with glass exhibits on the side, displaying old measuring instruments and various devices. They were a bit rusty, and looked clunky. Erica nearly salivated in front of the first Apple computer ever built; to me, it looked big and cumbersome. I leaned down to get a closer look at a collection of alternating current generators. It was funny to think of the progress made since so long ago.

Next we were taken through rooms holding various exhibits of Doctor Blanche's work. We saw her office, restored as it was while she was alive; a display of files and scrap paper on which odd, sprawling diagrams were either scribbled or sketched with care; strange little machines she had tinkered with; the exoskeleton she had used on her legs to be able to walk; a couple of the remaining photographs of her, horribly blurry and damaged; and the library where the original, physical copies of her work were stored. The reason they couldn't digitize them was that nobody could understand what she had been doing. Part of it had been decrypted, and had led to some major scientific advances long after her death, but a huge part of it was so obscure it bordered on the arcane. The math was brilliant and the diagrams seemed to have some sort of internal consistency (though no one could figure out why she was using _Japanese Kanji_ of all things), but most of it just plain didn't make sense.

Doctor Blackrow explained all this with a rueful smile. "We can't even put the files in order, since she was extremely neat and catalogued everything according to some strange organizational plan only she could make sense of." he finished. "Are there any questions?"

"Yes! Me! Me!" Irene jumped up and down with her hand in the air. He nodded at her. "Why can't you figure it out? If you can understand the math, shouldn't you get what she was trying to do?"

His smile widened. "The math is understandable, but the purpose behind it is not. There is no context to her equations, apart from the diagrams. Those are our only clues, and decrypting them has proven difficult. Our scientists believe that she was working under an unknown theory of the universe, and proceeded without bothering to demonstrate it." He laughed. "But that is only a theory, of course. We believe that understanding the work she has left behind will be crucial for developing our view of the universe. That is why we look for the brightest minds to join our university. We hope to train the next generation . . ."

He gave us the sale's pitch as he led us into a corridor leading to another room. I was deep in thought, but was interrupted by Shane's hand on my shoulder. He smiled, his wavy bangs getting into his eyes. He brushed them back. "What do you think, Alice? You want to come here, right?"

"Yeah. This place _is_ at the top."

He wanted to say something else, but then we entered the next area. It was a wide room with big double doors on the opposite side, and a huge glass case in the center. This was the most interesting part. We all crowded around it, and I had to push and shove to get a good view. I ended up squashed between the twins, but it was worth it.

In the case, right in front of my eyes, was a prototype of the Red Moon. Two feet across, round and crisscrossed with raised lines, dots, and symbols that looked vaguely arcane, it was held up on a tripod. I stared, mesmerized at the object that would serve as the basis for the Red Moon V130, the bomb widely used during the Third World War.

"This is a replica of the first prototype built by Doctor Blanche." said Doctor Blackrow. "Its maximum power is equivalent to one tenth of the atomic bomb launched in Japan during World War Two. Its mechanism is fundamentally different from traditional bombs." I knew all of this already, but I couldn't help listening with rapt attention, eyes locked on the clunky sphere. "It works by directly converting matter to energy, following Einstein's formula, Energy equals Mass times the Speed of Light squared. Following this formula, we see that a small amount of matter gives an enormous amount of energy, which means that this bomb needed very little fuel in order to function. This is the first machine to successfully put this concept to use by disintegrating matter into its component parts and creating a rapid increase in volume and release of energy . . . in other words, an explosion. Subsequent iterations of the Red Moon improved on it significantly. The Red Moon V130 used in the war was much smaller, about the size of a baseball, making its transportation simple; it produced a force field, so it could protect itself from its own blast and be reused multiple times; it did not need any fuel, as it converted matter touching its external layer into energy directly; the size of the blast could be remotely controlled, as well as the exact time of detonation. Using all these features made the Red Moon a very effective weapon, allowing the United States to dominate the war."

"Until she died . . ." I said under my breath.

Shane looked over at me, and put his hand on my arm. "What's wrong?"

"Ah . . . nothing." I smiled awkwardly. His hand fell away.

The Doctor kept talking. "The drawback was that only Doctor Blanche could make and repair them. She never told anyone else how to build them, and attempts to reverse engineer them have been unsuccessful. To this day, we still don't know the working mechanism of the Red Moons." He led us to a smaller glass case in the corner, where a small red ball sat, shiny and smooth. My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat. Shane's gaze turned to me, worried, but I didn't pay any attention. "This is a replica of the Red Moon V130. All the originals were destroyed according to the London Peace Agreements."

Of course. I let my breath out. There was no way I could actually _see_ her work. I suddenly felt horribly disappointed, and kept my head down as we left the room. People around me were chatting, so happy and excited to have seen so much, and I thought to myself that they were fools. What use was seeing a hunk of plastic? If it didn't work, there was no point in it.

Irene and Erica were talking, and it was obvious they didn't have a clue. To them, this was a game. A bit interesting, but not really relevant to their lives. But it was to mine. I needed to get into this school. This was my only shot at accessing that library, that mess of files without meaning, and find out, _what did she know_? What did Doctor Blanche _see_ when she looked at the world?

I was so consumed with my thoughts that I bumped into Erica. Everybody had stopped. Silence cut through the air. I looked up, my eyes widened, and I dashed to the front of the pack. I pushed people aside, hurrying, because what I was seeing couldn't possibly be real. I stopped, unable to breathe, and looked up in wonder.

We were in the dome, the white dome that had cut into the sky. Fully a hundred feet across and fifty at the highest point, the inside was white, covered in grey wires, snaking tubes, steel plaques ten feet across jutting from the curved ceiling at all angles, more cables raining down, and in the middle of it all, dead center, a machine. On the empty floor, surrounded by a huge diagram made of lines, kanji, and arcane symbols, it rose, magnificent, ten feet high, an elegant creature of steel and ceramic. From the round base rose three curving branches, their points nearly touching, the inside covered in sharp needles two inches long. Huge cables jutted from the base, to promptly disappear inside the floor.

I stared, transfixed, and knew that this was not a replica. This was real. I scarcely hear as Doctor Blackrow spoke. "This is Doctor Blanche's final work. Everything has been preserved exactly as she left it. This building, its shape and inner workings, were entirely designed by her. Everything is part of the machine you see in the middle, which was built with her own hands. As she never named it, and we do not know if it is even complete, we call it the Machine."

"What does it do?" A student called.

"We don't know." At that, a ripple of disbelief ran through the class. They protested and tried to argue, but I ignored all of it. Shane came to my side, while Irene and Erica talked to each other. He shook me gently, and I tore my eyes off the Machine. He smiled, a happy grin.

"I've never seen you make that face," he laughed. "You look completely taken. It's cute."

I blushed and crossed my arms. "Don't make fun of me." I pouted. This was embarrassing, he didn't have to point it out! He laughed some more, and put his arm over my shoulder. He poked my red cheek.

"I'm not making fun of you. I think you're cute."

"Hey! If you guys would stop flirting, we can go explore!" Irene popped up in front of us with a grin. She looked like the cat that got the cream, with the mischievous expression on her face. I blushed harder, knowing that she would tease us about this for the next week at least. Shane laughed, gave me an extra little squeeze, and took his arm away.

"Guys!" Erica called. "Come on!"

Irene grabbed my hand and pulled me along. She stuck her tongue out at her brother. "I'm not letting you steal Alice from me." She said.

Shane laughed. "I got it, I got it."

"You people are crazy . . ." I sighed, but let myself be pulled along, closer to the Machine. My excitement grew as we neared it. Erica tapped it with her foot.

"Erica! Don't do that!" I balked, pulling her away.

"Why not? There's no sign that says I can't." She flipped her ponytail. "Besides, it probably doesn't work. The guy said it was unfinished, right?"

"You never know." I grumbled. "In the meantime, don't touch it!"

"Yeah, yeah . . . I'm gonna go check out those wires." She jammed her thumb behind her.

"I'm staying here. Shane, Irene?"

"We'll stick with Alice." he said. Erica gave him a slight glare, and her mouth twisted down.

"Fine," she snapped. "Do what you want." And she stalked away to examine some of the strange wires that snaked up and down the wall.

"What's up with her?" I said.

Irene twirled around, her skirt making a perfect flower. "Oh, she has a crush on Shane."

"_Irene_!"

"I can't say it?" she spread her arms out and stopped. She tilted her head to the side, watching Shane get flustered, blush, and cover the lower half of his face with his hand. "It's true, though. She confessed to you last . . ."

Shane hurriedly covered her mouth. She mumbled, shaking her arms. Shane looked back at me with an embarrassed grin. "Don't listen to her. She's crazy."

"Oh . . . sure." And I turned back to the Machine. We were the ones closest to it. The others didn't seem keen on getting closer, probably because that would mean stepping on the diagram, that grew busier as it converged on the center. Shane was wrestling with Irene, pulling on her cheeks with a bright red face, Erica was jumping, trying to reach a thick cable, and I stood next to the Machine, entranced. It shone, reflecting my face.

Then, it wasn't my face. Something flashed, I thought I saw a glowing figure, so bright I could only make out an outline of long, flowing hair. I heard a whisper in my ear.

'_I'm sorry.'_

From underneath us, a sound like a computer booting up began to grow. Soon it was a rushing whirl. The cables glowed, fans spun to life, cooling fluid pumped through tubes, light rose from the diagram underfoot, blinding. I saw blue glowing at the tips of the needles covering the branches on the Machine. Lasers shot out, meeting in the middle, and with a sound like the ripping of fabric a bright blue ball of energy grew. It was so quick nobody had time to move.

The sphere paused, contracted, and swept outward. We were swallowed by something blindingly bright and we heard the sound of roaring wind. I closed my eyes and braced myself.

When it all stopped, I opened my eyes, blinking painfully. The Machine was still there. But under my feet, I felt grass, and looking around, where there was once inorganic greys and whites, I saw blue, green, and heard rushing water. I felt wind on my cheek. I smelled moss.

A scream pierced the air, and I spun around. My eyes widened.

* * *

In a city endlessly covered with rain, in a gray building jutting into the sky, a man with orange hair looked out at the clouds. The room was empty save for a desk and a chair. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the room and the other man that stood, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The orange haired man looked over his shoulder, ringed violet eyes emotionless despite his anger. His coat flapped in the wind coming in from the open window, red clouds on black. He slowly went to the desk and picked up the file. His eyes narrowed.

"Put all of them on it." The man leaning against the wall said. All that could be seen of his face was an eye, from behind an orange mask with a swirl pattern. His voice was deep and menacing.

"They're occupied. The bijuu hunt . . ."

"That can wait." Tobi said, pushing himself off the wall. "Nagato. I want the Akatsuki to complete this mission."

"Why?" From his space deep inside his lair, Nagato's eyes narrowed. In the dark, his red hair fell to frame his face, and black rods rose from his body, sending chakra to the body in the room. He had to conceal his anger. Putting the bijuu hunt on hold was a strange and infuriating request. It was necessary to achieve the organization's goal. Yet Tobi was adamant.

"This request must be fulfilled, as fast as possible. The bijuu sealing can wait. The Jinchuuriki are not going anywhere. This cannot." He opened the door, and a sudden air current rushed into the room. Tobi's voice was still low, and red flashed from behind his mask. "Do you understand . . . Pein?"

Pein, the body with the orange hair, nodded. Nagato, though infuriated, said nothing more. Tobi disappeared, and the door slammed behind him. After a moment, a woman with an origami rose in her short blue hair and a labret piercing, wearing the same cloak as Pein, came in. She quietly closed the door behind her.

"What did he want?" she asked.

"For the entire Akatsuki to be put on this mission." He gestured to the file on the table. She took it, and looked it over. Her face was blank.

"Shall I contact them?" she said.

"Yes. I want all of them to assemble, in person, within the week. Our employer will be here shortly."

Konan nodded, and swept out of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the desert east of the Land of Wind, two figures passed, riding horses. Heavily covered in pale colored cloths, one of them leading two heavily laden pack horses, they progressed at a calm walk under the searing sun. Looking up, the tallest shaded his eyes against the glare. In the blue sky, a black dot appeared and grew, turning into a falcon. The figure raised its arm, and the bird landed with a shriek. He opened the pouch attached to its back, took out the scroll, and briefly read it. He then dug through his saddlebag, finding a brush with an attached ink pot, and sketched out a reply. He put it back inside the falcon's pouch, and it soared into the air.

"What was it?" said the smaller figure.

"Our request has been accepted."

* * *

Review!


	2. Arrival

Hello, once again. While I'm a tad disappointed with the number of reviews, I decided to go ahead and put this up anyway.

Also, on a different note, I am now a college student! How weird is that? I'm studying physics.

As always, reviews feed the author. You don't want the author to starve, do you? When we starve, we don't have the energy to play. Like kittens.

* * *

Naruto skipped along the path leading through the forest. He ran ahead of Jiraiya, a spring in his steps and a grin on his face. Cool wind blew through his blond hair, the straps of his headband flowing back. His teacher looked at him with a slightly smug grin. It had been three years since they had left the Hidden Leaf village, and Naruto was now stronger, taller, and more mature. He was excited at the prospect of seeing his friends again, and how much they had all changed. The boy had grown, in more ways than one.

When they were coming along the path to the village, nearly in sight of its wall, they saw a column of light descend from the sky. Cutting through the clouds, swirling down, the air whistling as the light rushed through it, it was massive and bright, so that they had to shield their eyes. It hit the ground with a deafening noise, scattering the birds. A shock wave came moments later, forcing them to brace themselves against the impact. In an instant, it was over.

"What was that?" said Naruto, when it had subsided.

"I don't know." Jiraiya frowned. He'd seen something like it before, and not too long ago. "Let's check it out."

They ran in the direction of the light's landing spot. It didn't take them very long to get near it, and as they did, an ear-piercing shriek tore through the forest. More rose in a chorus, accompanied by panicked cries for help. They hurried. As Naruto passed a certain tree, he quickly stopped and rushed back.

"Naruto, wait!" Jiraiya called.

"I heard a voice!" Naruto turned around the tree, and his eyes widened. A boy about his age stood next to the tree, with tears running down his face. He stared down at his own leg, in shock, face completely white.

"Oy! What's wrong?" Naruto shook him by the shoulder.

"My leg . . . my leg . . ." the boy repeated over and over again. Naruto followed his gaze, and stumbled back. It was embedded in the tree. Suddenly the boy screamed and jerked at his leg, trying to get it out, but it was completely stuck. Blood ran down the trunk as he kept pulling, tugging, unable to get free, screaming in horror.

"What in the world?" Jiraiya said. Naruto turned to him.

"Pervy Sage?"

"I've never seen anything like this. What kind of Jutsu would do this?" Jiraiya was shocked, which in itself meant something terrible was going on.

"That's my line . . ." He was cut off by more screams. Naruto whirled around. "Are there more of them?"

"There must be. Let's hurry." And they rushed towards the source, bursting into a clearing, where pandemonium had broken loose.

* * *

I looked around me. Blue sky, green trees, grass under my feet, the feel of the wind, and thought to myself, this is a nightmare. Shane and Irene stood in complete shock, frozen, eyes wide. I took a step. I heard cries, and whirled around, again and again, till I was dizzy, and I couldn't quite understand what I was seeing. We still had the exact positions we had had before the light had taken over everything. The exact same ones as underneath the dome, with the Machine in the middle, and all of us spread out, exploring the room. Only, there was something not quite right.

The trees were in the way. The students were still there. But now trees tried to be in the same space. That wasn't right. I turned back to Irene and Shane, and saw her looking in the distance. Her mouth trembled.

"ERICA!" Irene screamed. Her nails dragged down her face. Her knees shook. Her face was contorted with horror as she stared. I forced myself to stop moving and look, really look. I saw Erica's face first, framed by blood, like a halo. Then I saw the tree, and realized her face was the only part I could see. I took a step forward. Then another. Before I knew it I was running. I yelled her name, but her eyes were blank, her cheeks sallow. She didn't answer. Then, I saw her hand coming out of the tree. I screamed, fell to my knees, and fought to keep from being sick. I could smell blood.

Irene collapsed to her knees, wailing. Shane stood next to her, catatonic. The others were running around, screaming, crying, praying, or . . . I fought another wave of nausea. Then, I understood. I stumbled to my feet and staggered back to the Machine. The slight sun shone off its metal form.

I kicked it. I banged on it. I hit it over and over again. I wasn't making any sense anymore, my only thought was that this had to be it. This was the only thing capable of this. What was it? A teleportation machine? I didn't care, I didn't think, I only screamed at it to bring us back. It had to be this thing. What else was there?

It did nothing. It stood peacefully. I couldn't even make a dent on it. Finally I slid to my knees, my fingernails bleeding, crying. I couldn't even think of where we might be. I couldn't think anymore.

"Oy! Miss, are you okay?" I turned and looked over my shoulder. I saw a boy with bright blue eyes and spiky blond hair, wearing a headband with a metal plate. The symbol on it looked like a leaf. He had whiskers on his cheeks. He looked concerned. I didn't know who he was, but he seemed like somebody I could trust, and a little familiar. He seemed dependable. Maybe I was just desperate for somebody that wasn't screaming or crying, but his presence calmed me down. I wiped my face, aware that I looked disgusting, and stood.

"Yeah . . . Yeah, I'm okay . . ."

He looked a bit surprised that I had pulled myself together that quickly. He still smiled, and it looked genuine. "My name's Naruto. You're the first person to talk to me here."

That name sounded weird. Not Anglo-Saxon, that was for sure. "I'm Alice."

He was about to reply when a dark cloud descended on us. All I saw were white painted masks and the rushing of people wearing black. Then, something hit me on the back of the head, and I couldn't see anything anymore.

* * *

I suddenly woke up. I sat in a chair with my arms tied behind my back and a blindfold over my face. It was cold, and I could hear people standing around me.

"What village do you come from?" That was the first question. "How did you come here?" Another followed. "What is that machine?" Ah, they kept coming. "Who are you working for?" I let my head fall forward. I had no idea what they were asking. "What is your name?" Oh, that I could answer.

"My name is Alice." I mumbled. My mouth was dry.

"What is your occupation?" That one was easy too.

"I'm a student."

"What village do you come from?" And back to the difficult ones. My mind started to clear, and I got annoyed. Who lives in a village these days? Christ, was this some kind of cult? I wanted to try asking questions now.

"Where am I?" I got no answer. "My friends . . . the others, where are they?"

"Where do you come from?" Again. I was angry now. Annoyed, and angry.

"How the hell should I know?" I snapped, and continued, screaming. "We were on a field trip, okay? We're kids! We're not even adults! We were visiting a stupid science facility, then there was a light, and next thing we know we're outside! Who the hell are you people? The US government? Some other country? Holding foreign nationals without cause and without access to legal counseling is banned under Article 23 of the London Peace Agreement!" I yelled and struggled against my ties. "This is not legal, now LET ME THE FUCK OUT!"

"Is she not answering?" I heard a different voice and another person coming in.

"Some of the things she said are consistent with the answers the other ones have given." That was said by one of the neutral voices that had asked questions.

"Get inside her mind. See if the information is consistent with what was found in the others."

Wait. That didn't sound right. Brain reading technology was banned. They couldn't do this. I struggled harder as I felt something come near my face. Were they going to drill electrodes into my skull? Use some kind of scanner? To my complete surprise, all I felt was a hand over my eyes. It was cool, and I the voice that spoke was gentle.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt."

The sensation was strange. Like heat circulating into my brain. Behind my eyelids, I could see sparks flashing, and the beginnings of a memory. I started to panic. Was this man going to shift through my entire life? Then, there was a burst of light, I glimpsed a glowing figure with flowing hair, the man's hand fell away, and all I felt was a slight tingling behind my eyes.

"I can't." The man said. "Something is blocking me."

Then, I felt very, very tired. I slumped forward, the world spinning, and everything turned black again.

* * *

When I woke up, for the second time, I was blinded by white, so much so that I had to close my eyes again. After a moment, I adjusted and was able to take a good look around me. I was lying in a bed, with decently soft blankets covering me. A monitor beeped in the background, and I felt a needle in my arm.

"Alice?" said a soft, familiar voice. I looked up to see Irene, her hair disheveled and her face red from crying. Her clothes were gone, replaced by a white hospital gown, but she didn't look hurt. She sniffed as I blinked. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

I thought about it. I wiggled my toes, lifted my arms, twisted my neck. "Nope. All good." Apart from a slight headache and a bit of stiffness, I felt fine. I raised myself up.

"Don't push yourself!" She tried to push me back down, but I waved her off. I wore a hospital gown, one that tied in front and to the side, and my hair had come undone. I groped for my glasses. Irene put something in my hand. "Your glasses, and your hair tie. They gave them back to me."

I put my glasses on, and that was much better; I braided my hair, and that was even better. I tugged the IV out of my arm and the electrodes off my chest. The monitor flat lined.

"Christ, this is antique technology," I remarked, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "Did we end up in a third world country?"

"About that . . ." Irene looked down. She was interrupted by a woman rushing into the room. She had short black hair, wore a kind of kimono, and was carrying a god dammed piglet. She stopped when she saw me, her terrified face immediately morphing into an expression of disbelief, then sullen understanding. She sighed and walked back out. I turned to Irene.

"What the heck was that all about?"

"That's Shizune. She's kind of like a nurse. She's nice."

I got up and stretched a bit. There were no windows, and the room was bare. The tile felt cold against my feet. "So, any idea where we are?"

Irene fidgeted a little bit. "It's a bit hard to explain . . ."

"Spit it out. How bad can it be?"

She took a deep breath. "Don't freak out, okay?"

"Just tell me!"

"I think, from what I've seen, that we're in a different world."

"Yeah, like I said, a third world country."

"No, like, a different dimension. I've seen maps," she hurriedly explained before I could stop her. "There's no such thing as the United States, the countries are different, the people are different. They don't even have democracies, just some kind of lord . . . right now, we're in a place called 'The Hidden Leaf Village' . . . a ninja village."

At that, I had to laugh. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Different dimension? Ninjas? Christ, she must have hit her head. I fell to the floor, howling in laughter.

"I'm not joking!" she stood abruptly, knocking her chair back. "I've seen them! They do weird things, the nurse called it 'Chakra,' they looked inside our heads! Everyone went through it!" I laughed even harder. "Stop it!"

"I'm . . . sorry . . ." I choked, rolling to my knees, one hand over my mouth. I shuddered, and pulled myself together. I stood, serious once again. "Irene, are you okay? You're not making sense." I put my hand on her forehead to check for a fever. She slapped my hand away, tears in her eyes.

"I'm not making it up, and I'm not sick! We're stuck in a world with ninjas, and that Machine brought us here! Shane will tell you!"

"He's okay?"

"Yeah!"

I suddenly remembered Erica's face; blank, white, cold, framed with blood. "Erica . . ."

"She's . . ." Irene swallowed. "When we were transported, some of us didn't make it. I think there are about twenty of us left."

"Eight people . . ." I whispered. I fell back on the bed. "There was stuff in the way . . . we were lucky . . ." I covered my face with my hands.

Irene nodded, and sat next to me. "I can't really believe it, you now. Erica's . . ." Her voice wavered.

"What's going to happen now?"

"The leader of this village, the Hokage, has decided to let us stay."

I raised my head. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. They examined us thoroughly, both our bodies and our minds . . . I guess what they found wasn't harmful. They're a bit scared though, since we don't have Chakra."

"There you go again with the crazy talk." I shook my head. "What does that even mean? 'Hokage?' 'Chakra?'" Those words seemed a bit familiar. They sounded like . . . "Well, the words sound sort of Asian. I'd say Japanese, but Japan has been gone for decades, so . . ." I trailed off and shrugged.

After that, the woman, Shizune, brought us our clothes. We met up with the other students in the lobby of the hospital, under the watchful eye of the nurses and a couple of men wearing headbands and military style jackets. One caught my eye. His headband was pulled down over his left eye; the other looked that of a dead fish; and his silver (?) hair stuck straight up. He also had a mask over the lower half of his face, and was reading what I could only assume, going by the title, was a romance novel. If this guy was a ninja, I was a frog. His companions looked a bit more like the part, except for the guy in the green jumpsuit and black bowl on his head.

Shane rushed to me and hugged me. He looked haggard, with black spots under his eyes. He then hugged his sister. The three of us didn't speak about Erica, though her presence left a gaping hole. The rest of the class wasn't faring much better. Some were shaking; others were angry; and nobody had a clue what was going on. I couldn't believe any of this. Somewhere, in a corner of my mind, I thought this was a nightmare I would wake up soon. I hoped that was the case; but realistically, this felt too vivid to be any sort of dream.

The man with the silver hair stepped up and snapped his book shut. All eyes fell on him. We were all too scared to say anything. He stared at us with that dead looking eye and I felt a sudden burst of irritation.

"Hello." he said. His tone was a deadpan drone, like he was really bored and couldn't wait to get back to his book. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. Well, this is a rather odd situation, so we're not sure how to handle you guys. But, you shouldn't worry, we won't do anything bad."

"Oh, what a relief . . ." I whispered sarcastically under my breath. Irene giggled despite herself, and Shane clamped a hand over her mouth. The guy's eye swiveled to us and his eyebrow rose. I stood as still as possible, looking straight ahead, until he went back to staring off into space.

"Ah, sadly, we can't let you leave the village. Lady Tsunade has decided not to lock you up, though some faction did want you all in custody. That would be rather drastic, since you obviously pose no threat. You'll be given lodgings, and money for food and utilities. In exchange, you are going to work. But, that'll be decided tomorrow. In the meantime, you're free to poke around the village a bit. Off you go." He lazily waved, and left the room, nose in his book. Immediately words began to buzz among us. I, for one, was not pleased. But then again, I doubt anything these people could have done would have pleased me. I was starting to want to look for something to blame.

"You can leave," said another one of the soldiers, one with brown hair and a laid-back feeling to him, chewing some kind of needle. He waved towards the doors.

"Should we go?" Irene whispered to me as everybody seemed to shrink back.

"Might as freaking well . . ." I answered. I took a deep breath. How bad could it be, out there?

I walked. In full view of everyone, with Shane gesturing at me to come back, with the eyes of the soldiers in military jackets following me, I walked with my chin high, outside, and into the belly of the beast.

* * *

Outside of the Hidden Sand Village, the pair sat next to a well while their water containers were being filled. It was stiflingly hot, with dust getting into every nook and cranny, and a sun that beat down like lead. They sat for a long time, long after their water was ready and their saddlebags filled with fresh supplies, long enough for the sun to fall and drag a curtain of night after it. Stars came out. They shone brightly, with not a cloud blocking them. The village was silent in the distance.

After a while, the taller one consulted a pocket watch. He stared at it, a bit pensively, before looking up to the sky. He was not admiring the stars, but searching for a bird. As time wore on, none appeared. He stood.

"Let's go."

"Are you sure?" asked the smaller one.

"Yes. Everything is going fine."

And with that, the pair mounted their horses and rode on, headed East. Only a handful of days, and they would reach their destination.

* * *

You may be a bit confused for now, but just keep reading. It should get better as we mosey along. At any rate, the response to Alice seemed positive, so that's good. It stands to reason that she would be similar to Tenshi, but I intend to make her her own character. I hope you will warm up to her like you did to Tenshi.

I realize some people may have been upset about her dying. While she does play a vital role in the current storyline, for various reasons, I cannot have her come in directly. I do apologize for that. She will appear directly towards the end, though, so fear not. Even though Tenshi is dead, that does not mean she is completely gone.

So I hope you will review. Any comments, praise, criticisms, or requests are welcome.


	3. Prove It

Ah, here I am again. I've got this written up till about chapter 9, so I'm updating pretty fast. I wish I had more reviews, but I guess not much has happened so far that would warrant a strong response. I'll stick it out for a while longer, see how the response is to various developments. If people don't like this, I have no reason to keep writing. The story lives perfectly well in my head.

Does anybody actually read the author's notes? In any case, review!

* * *

I blinked in the sunlight. What I saw was, for lack of a better word, _amazing_.

It was some kind of old-fashioned village, with a huge cliff carved with faces overlooking the whole thing. In the distance was a large red building with a Kanji on it. _And there were no skyscrapers_. At all. The buildings looked built by man power, and had a sort of rustic, informal, organic vibe to them. In the street in front of me, I saw shops and restaurants, with people milling around and chatting, talking, buying things. Children ducked around, playing with sticks and star shaped pieces of wood, some even climbing on the tile roofs. The clothes the people wore were varied, and rather strange, with an Asian feel to them. The sounds were also strange. They were exclusively human sounds, like laughing and talking and crying voices; I couldn't hear the rush of shuttles, or even the whir of cars.

I wandered through the street, a little dizzy, a little scared, but somehow exhilarated. The air smelled so _nice_. I passed a shop with a paper lantern and a flap through which I could see stools. A great smell wafted out from it, and I realized I was starving. My stomach growled. I thought about going back to the hospital and claiming the money they had promised 'for food and utilities,' but as I looked around, I realized that I was completely lost.

"Naruto . . ." I turned around, hearing a familiar word spoken in a low, threatening tone.

"Sakura, it's not what you think!" The boy with the spiky blond hair was backing up, while a girl with pink (?) hair and teal (?) eyes drew her fist back. With a crunch and a yell, she socked the poor guy right in the face. I winced as he went spinning (?) ten feet away, landed in a heap, and skidded for a further five. I felt sympathetic, until I realized, as he got up, more or less intact, that what had just happened defied the laws of physics.

"Okay," I put my fingertips on my temples. "Memory erasure time. This did not just happen. This did not just happen. This did not just happ . . ."

"Hey, I know you!" The boy, (Naruto, I guess) came up to me with this great big smile despite the bruise forming on his cheek. "You're from back there! Alice, right? Man, I hope you're okay after all that!"

"Huh, yeah . . . I'm good . . . so, what'cha doing here?" I meant, how the hell are you not dead, you stupid idiot? At least obey the god dammed laws of the universe, why don't you?!

"I'm getting some ramen with Sakura."

"Hello." The girl whom I had just seen break the record for strongest punch _ever_ waved at me with a kind smile. She looked like a regular girl . . . minus the odd hair, and kind of weird clothes. "I've heard about you guys. You came from the streak of light, right?"

"Huh, yeah, my name's Alice." I gave a small wave, when what I really wanted to do was grab her by the collar and shake her until she revealed who had made her and how. Robotry was _not_ that advanced.

"Do you want to join us?" she said, and then winked. "Naruto's paying."

"I am?"

"You are." Her face never changed. She tugged on my arm, and I followed her into the shop. Inside, an old man greeted Naruto like an old friend. The two people ordered, and I decided to have the same thing as Sakura. When the food came, I was baffled as to what it was, and how to eat it. It looked like pasta in soup. Naruto looked at me with bafflement mixed with disbelief.

"EEH? Alice, you've never had ramen?" He teared up. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't listen to him," said Sakura. "Try it, I'll show you how. It's really good."

I copied her gestures with the chopsticks, and managed to get a mouthful without spilling some everywhere. It was pretty good. A little heavy. Naruto was looking at me with such expectations that all I could do was give a weak smile and say "Yeah, I love it."

"Really? Alright, old man, give us another!"

"Wait, no, I'm full . . ." I tried to protest, but another bowl ended up in front of me. I took a couple of bites, but really, I couldn't eat anymore. Sakura glanced over at me.

"Hey," she whispered in my ear. "Ask him if he wants to finish yours. Just say you're full."

"Okay," I whispered back. "Hey Naruto. I'm full, would you like to finish mine?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Alice!" I handed him the nearly full bowl and he gulped it down. The kid proceeded to eat five more. I had to ask myself how the hell was he not round as a butterball.

As Naruto was inhaling his food (there is no other word for it), the man who had addressed us back in the hospital walked in, lifting the flap as he went.

"Oh, Naruto. Hello." He said, sitting down. "I thought you'd be here. And," His eye slid to me. "I see you've made a new friend." He smiled through his mask. He looked kind of creepy.

"Whoa!" Naruto pulled me closer, so that I almost fell off my chair.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is Alice." he said, poking my cheek. Kakashi stared at me. I couldn't meet this guy's eye.

"Huh, yeah, nice to meet you." I mumbled. I jerked my arm back.

"I know who you are." Kakashi said. He then ignored me while he ordered.

'_Well that was rude,'_ I thought.

"Hey Alice, do you want us to show you around the village?" Sakura asked. "We've got some free time right now."

"Yeah!" Naruto pitched in. "We just beat this old guy at his own game!" He pointed at Kakashi.

"Old guy?" he repeated under his breath. "I feel like I'm losing my student's respect . . ." Nobody listened to him.

"We managed to beat him at a training exercise. We had to get two bells away from him." Sakura said. She smiled.

"Training for what?" I asked. I was a bit puzzled by this.

"Didn't you know? We're shinobi." she said. She looked so normal and cute when she said it, I almost burst out laughing. "Ninjas."

"Seriously? You're going to have to prove it." I leaned back. Only, I had forgotten these chairs didn't have backs. I lost my balance and fell backwards, right out of my chair.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. Kakashi looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I quickly righted myself, blushing like crazy, and dusted myself off. I cleared my throat, face still red.

"If you people really _are_ ninja, then prove it. I don't believe it. There's no such thing. And what's this chakra stuff anyway?"

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, evidently a bit puzzled. Naruto grinned and sprang to his feet.

"You want a demonstration? You got it!" He stretched, popping his joints. The other two came out to see the show. I was beginning to regret this. Naruto was totally game, which did not bode well for my preconceptions.

"First, I'm going to show you what chakra does!" He made a symbol with his hands, closing his eyes for a second. Then, he grinned, and went up to the wall of the shop. He put a foot on it and walked right up the god dammed wall. I am not making this up. He got to the top, jumped off, and landed. He grinned. I gaped like a fish.

"Okay, next up, transformation jutsu!" Another gesture, and in front of me was Sakura. Only she was smiling from next to Kakashi. Another handsign, and I was staring at myself, grinning like I hoped I never would in my life.

"How's that?"

I was frozen. I couldn't say anything. I tried to process this, but it didn't fit with any known laws of physics I could come up with. I wrestled with the idea, my mouth still open.

"Not enough? Okay then, next is Shadow clone jutsu!" Yet another sign, and another Naruto was standing next to the first one, grinning at me. My eyes flicked back and forth between the two, back and forth, back and forth, till I got dizzy.

"Okay . . . you're a ninja . . . sure . . ."

"It's not over yet! I'm going to show you my strongest technique!" The two Narutos (?) cracked their knuckles.

"Oh, no, really, please, I'm good . . ."

"Okay, here we go!" I couldn't really describe it. A ball of blue spinning energy appeared in his palm as the clone swiped over it. It was like a miniature typhoon confined in his hand. "What do you think? Cool, huh! Pervy Sage taught it to me! Alice, are you okay?"

"Ninjas . . . they're really ninjas . . ." Which meant this was a different world. And then I looked up at the sky. There was a boy riding a dog, being chased by a girl with a blonde ponytail jumping on roofs. He arrived at the intersection, to be caught by some kind of black thread snaking up off the ground. Past us another boy with long black hair dressed in white came running, yelling "There he is! Byakugan!" upon which the veins around his eyes bulged and his pupils got all weird; he was followed by a miniature version of the guy from the hospital with the bowl cut, yelling something about youth; and when another boy jumped from the sky and rolled himself into a porcupine, I had really had enough. I fainted.

* * *

I woke up on a bench, in a park. Over me, somebody with pink hair had her hand on my forehead, and it glowed green. Something cool was flowing into my head, and it felt nice.

"Are you awake?" Sakura said. "Sorry, we must have scared you."

I sat up, and she took her hand away. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. The park was dyed in red and gold with the sunset; there were people on and around the swing set, some of which I had seen before, others that were new to me.

"No, I'm fine." I said, putting my glasses back on. "It was just a lot to take in in a very short amount of time. I'll get used to it. But seriously, ninja? Naruto doesn't look the part. I mean, what kind of a ninja wears an orange sports outfit?" I said, and laughed a little, mostly to make myself feel better. Sakura smiled, and stuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. You're amazing, you know that?" She laughed a little bit, half-joking.

"How so?"

"I went by the hospital earlier a bit before. You're the only one who's left. The others are still huddled in the lobby."

"They're scared. We don't know what this place is." I kicked up the dust at my feet, not meeting her eyes. She leaned over.

"You're not?" she asked.

I shrugged and leaned back, against the bench. I pensively twirled the end of my braid between my fingers. "I guess I am. I figured that if you wanted to eat us or something you wouldn't let us loose in the city. I have a feeling we're going to be here a while, so why not go out and see this place a bit? If anything else, it'll keep me from getting bored."

"That's interesting." I half-screamed and jumped from the bench, landing in the dirt. The voice had come from behind me.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't scare her like that!" Sakura said.

"My bad." he said, nose in his book.

"How did you get there that fast?" I gasped. "What are you, a . . ."

"Ninja?" he completed with an eyebrow raised. For some reason, that really pissed my off. I pushed my glasses up with my middle finger.

"Like _you_ could be a ninja. From what I've seen, you're a creepy old geezer."

"Eh?" he pointed to himself with a dumb expression. "You mean me?"

"Yeah! Who goes around reading romance novels in the middle of the day? And in public, too! Have a little shame, gramps!"

"Huh . . . 'gramps'?"

"Yeah! You're obviously old, your hair is silver!"

" . . . I was born like this."

"Then you were born an old man! I'm calling you Old Man from now on! Yeah, that's right, Old Man!" I rocked back on my heels, arms crossed smugly over my chest. Serves him right for being rude to me.

* * *

Kakashi stared at the kid. She looked very proud of herself. He decided that he'd be better off not letting her get a reaction. While it certainly irked him to be called that (he wasn't _that_ old), he had a feeling she was angry at him, which was strange because they hadn't known each other that long.

Naruto called her over, and introduced her to some people; she met Kiba, Ino, Choji, Hinata, and Shikamaru. Kakashi watched her carefully as she introduced herself and tried to deal with each person's idiosyncrasies. She seemed to be rather baffled and lost. When Akamaru tried to sniff her, she screamed and hid behind the slide, only to trip and fall face first. She remained jumpy as Kiba laughed and tried to help her up, and seemed rather scared of Choji and Hinata, much to everyone's consternation. Once Hinata tried to talk to her, and stuttered all the while, she seemed to relax, but every time Choji got near her she would jump and run.

"Sakura," he said. His student had remained with him, watching Alice from afar.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Keep an eye on her."

"Sure, but why?"

"You know Root got their hands on them, right?" She nodded. "Danzo had them examine their minds. Tsunade stopped it before he could go through all of them, but he still had enough time to rummage around most of these kids."

"What did they find in Alice?"

Kakashi flipped his book open. The pages were dyed blood red in the sunset; of the people running around the playground, only dark silhouettes could be seen. He raised his gaze and pensively surveyed the scene. Like a shadow puppet show, the girl was being chased by Akamaru while the others laughed. Sakura swallowed.

"That's the thing," Kakashi said. "They couldn't do it." He snapped his book shut.

Alice stumbled and fell. Akamaru was on her in a flash, licking her face. They heard laughter echo among the shadows. Sakura looked from her to her teacher.

"You don't mean . . . but that's not possible, she doesn't have any chakra! I saw it myself, when I was treating her. How can she put up a defense . . ."

"She didn't. I spoke to the Yamanaka clan member who did it. According to him, everything was covered with a bright light. He couldn't see anything. There's something in that girl's mind, keeping her safe." His eye narrowed. "As to what, I don't know. In any case, Danzo isn't happy with this. I want you to keep an eye on her. Root might make a move soon."

* * *

In the land of Rain, in the underground base, Sasori swept through the corridor. His cloak billowed around him and his steps echoed as he hurried. He opened a door and walked into the room. It held a long table with chairs, but was otherwise drab and unfurnished. The walls were painted white and the lights cast a dark shadow over the lone figure seated at the table, hunched over papers.

"Konan," he said. "Why have we been summoned?" His tone was dry, his soft brown eyes almost dead.

She raised her head. "Sasori. Have you just arrived?"

"Obviously. I would like an explanation for us being summoned like this."

"We have a new mission." She said, gathering her papers. "All will be explained in several days. Be patient for now."

"I don't like to be kept waiting."

"I can't be helped. Since you all need to be here in the flesh, we need time for everyone to assemble."

"Fine." he snapped. "But this is ridiculous. Why would we need to assemble?"

"Our client is coming to meet us. As we are all going to participate in this mission, Pein wants us all to meet him." She stood. "Speaking of which, where is Deidara?"

Sasori shrugged and turned away. "The brat isn't in shape to do anything. He scrapped capturing the one-tail."

"How has he been handling . . . everything?" she asked. She hadn't heard of Deidara since he had come back. She knew what had happened (Itachi had given a very concise report) and had been thoroughly shocked by what had happened in the short time in between their departure and the second trip. She couldn't even imagine how Deidara must be handling it. She scanned Sasori carefully for any sign of how he could be doing, but the puppet master was as hard to read as ever. His tone betrayed only slight anger at being made to wait, and a bit of irritation of Deidara's refusal to do his job. Nothing else.

"How he is doing is of no concern to me. Shouldn't you be worried that he didn't go and get the one-tail? I can go do it myself."

"The plan to capture the Jinchuuriki has been temporarily put on hold."

His eyes widened slightly. "Why?" he asked.

Konan couldn't say. The order had come from Tobi, but neither Nagato nor Konan understood his motivation. They did as they were told. She didn't think this was a good idea. True, their client had offered a substantial amount of money, enough to fund their operations for the next five years, but the delay this mission might cause couldn't be overlooked. They hadn't even started with the sealing of the tailed beasts yet. There was supposed to be a schedule, and if things kept going like this, they wouldn't be able to keep to it. Konan bit her lip.

'_Tobi must take us all for fools,'_ she thought. '_This was his plan to begin with, why is he putting it on hold now of all times?'_ Her fingers tightened around the papers she held. _'What is it about this mission? Ever since we've come back, he's been acting strange. Could this have anything to do with it?'_

Konan abruptly stood up, gathered her papers, and swept out of the room. As she was about to go through the doorway, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Sasori.

"Pein's orders are absolute. Be sure to be present when you are called." And without adding anything else, she left, and the door slammed behind her.

Sasori was left in the room. As he prepared to leave to do some maintenance on his puppets, he saw a piece of paper left on the table.

'_Konan must have forgotten it,'_ he thought as he picked it up. He read it, and his eyes widened slightly, before going back to their usual, soft and bored aspect. _'This must be the mission. How irksome.' _He let it flutter back to the table, soft as a feather.

"Still," he spoke to himself. "How hard could it be? There can only be so many girls with red wings around."

* * *

Review!


	4. Beginning of an Awkward Day

Hey, here I am again. I got a bunch of nice reviews, so I'm updating. I was never planning on 'holding my stories hostage.' I've never done that, and I don't plan to start. I was only thinking about reevaluating writing this, because as much as I love fanfiction, I'm a university student now and my time is limited. In terms of effort versus reward, I have to start think about whether or not it's worth the time and the effort to write. I think it is, and I hope you think so to.

Well, it shouldn't matter. I know not much has happened so far, so there hasn't been much to comment on. If the reviews don't pick up, it means I'm not correctly doing my job as a writer, and that's all there is to it.

So yeah, drop a review on your way out.

* * *

I looked around the room. As far as temporary lodgings went, it could be worse. A little dusty, but relatively spacious and well lit. In the left corner next to the window was a mattress-like bed set directly on the floor, in the opposite corner was a small kitchen (with tiny refrigerator, oven, sink, one counter, and cupboards), a low table sat in the middle of the room with no chairs but two cushions, and there was a door to the left side leading to a small bathroom. Everything was painted a shade of off-white, and the floors were wooden. It was . . . utilitarian. I sneezed, and my eyes watered. Damn allergies.

My first order of business was getting this place cleaned up. I dug through the cupboards and found a rag, bucket, and broom. I opened the window and the door to let some air flow, and got started. I had a lot of work to do until this place was livable; dusting, scrubbing, airing out the mattress, checking for bugs and assorted critters, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen . . . I surveyed everything and steeled myself.

"Okay . . ." I said to myself. I put my fist in the air. "Let's do this!"

I got to work with a fervor usually reserved for gaming. I was not living in a dusty, dirty apartment, no matter what my station in this village was. I was determined to make the best of this place, and for that, I had to put everything I had into this. I grinned to myself as I worked.

I was on my knees scrubbing the floor when something wet dripped from my face. I sat back, dropped my rag, and touched my cheeks. Something was flowing from my eyes.

"What the . . ." My voice and my vision wavered. I tasted salt. "The heck is this?"

I was cold all of a sudden. My energy was gone, my good will blown to bits, my limbs shaking. I stumbled to my feet and slammed the door shut. I tripped on my way to the window, and managed to shut it before collapsing against the wall, sliding to the floor, and bursting into tears. I remembered what had happened just before, when I had gone back to the hospital after seeing the village.

* * *

"Alice!" Irene ran and threw her arms around me. "Idiot!" she cried. "You stupid idiot!"

"What's up with you?" I raised an eyebrow. I then realized that the class was staring at me; most were hollow-eyed and frightened, but some were hostile, staring at me with dark gazes. They were huddled in a sort of circle in the lobby, backs against the people coming in and out of the hospital. From behind the front desk, a nurse kept glancing over. Shane stood up. He was more shaken up than I'd ever seen him. His wavy hair was plastered to his neck and forehead and his eyes burned with a kind of fever. These people probably hadn't slept or eaten since we'd gotten here. I didn't like the way they looked at me.

When Shane came up to me, I shrunk back a bit. He grabbed me by my shoulders.

"Shane, that hurts." I said, calmer than I should have been.

"What were you thinking?" he said in a low voice, almost a growl. His eyes bore into mine. "How could you go out there? What if something had happened? You don't know where we are, don't go running off on your own!"

I tried to shrug him off. His fingers dug into my skin. "Seriously, let go."

He shook me once. "Do not do that again, do you understand?"

I gritted my teeth and stomped on his foot. His grip loosened and I slipped away. "What's wrong? Shane, this isn't like you. Calm down."

"How can I calm down?" He raised his voice. "You could have died!"

"Oh, please, if they wanted us dead, they could have done so before."

"Maybe . . ." I turned to the group. A girl had spoken up. I didn't like the look on her face; a mixture of horror and desperation. She shook as she talked, huddled into a tight ball. "Maybe this is some kind of government experiment. You know, maybe we're all hallucinating? This could be a new reality simulator, like the one used for games, or maybe some kind of drug?" A chorus of agreement went through the group.

"Or maybe," said another, a boy. "It's a curse. I heard Angelique Blanche died under horrible circumstances, maybe she's torturing us from the afterlife. Maybe we've died already and went to hell . . ."

"No way!" That was yet another voice. I knew this boy. His name was Dane Sandfield, a tall lanky boy with tousled black hair and sharp grey eyes behind square glasses. "This is real. I don't fully understand this, but this is another world. We can't trust anybody here. For all we know, they're going to lock us up, or use us for experiments, or even kill us! To them, we must be monsters, why would they trust us? Why should we trust them?" The others nodded at his speech, murmuring in agreement.

"Wait a second! I've met them, they're pretty normal. Sure, they can do weird stuff, but the people our age are just like us." I shook my head. "I can't imagine them treating us badly. Wherever I went, they were nice! Most people here are just regular citizens! You'd know if you just went out and saw . . ."

"It's no use . . ." said yet another. "You're crazy if you think they're normal. Have you seen what they can do? They're freaks, all of them! Monsters!"

'_You're wrong,'_ I wanted to yell. But the group kept mumbling to each other, and I felt the hate and fear grow. Stuck together, without sleep or food, in an unfamiliar place where their lives might be in jeopardy, a weird psychology had budded and was starting to flower. If they went out, I was sure they'd understand that this village wasn't all that bad. But I had a feeling that if I tried convincing them, they'd turn on me. Shane's reaction was bad enough. The place where he'd grabbed me throbbed, and I knew I'd have bruises. He still stood awfully close, and Irene clung to his arm.

Later on, we'd been assigned out living quarters, and our jobs. We were spread out around the village, and I had a feeling it wasn't accidental. I couldn't know what the higher echelons of this place had in mind, but maybe they wanted to keep us from clumping together and exchanging weird theories. I personally didn't think they meant us harm. But still, what if . . .

* * *

As the events flashed through my head, I was overcome by a horrible feeling of isolation. In an unfamiliar world with unfamiliar people and no way home, I couldn't help it. Erica was gone, and I nearly threw up upon remembering her face; Irene was a total wreck, I had seen how she had been crying; Shane had turned paranoid. There was nothing solid for me to get a hold on.

So I cried. For a long time, it seemed, because I eventually fell asleep right there against the wall and woke up with sun streaming through the window and on my face. I sneezed. There was still a lot of dust. My head felt like it was going to slit open. I needed a shower and something to eat.

I pulled myself to my feet, using the window as support, and got myself to the bathroom. It was equipped with the basic utilities, which seemed awfully considerate. I didn't have any money to buy this stuff yet. My face looked awful. The bags under my eyes were even more pronounced, my complexion was grayish, and my hair was a complete wreck. I started by brushing it out and washing my face. I thought I looked a bit more presentable when I heard a knock on the door. I scrambled to dry my face, and saw that my eyes were still red.

"Shit, shit, shit . . ." I swore, but I had no more time. The knocking grew insistent. "I'm coming!" I called. I hoped I wasn't too much of a wreck.

I opened the door, and on the other side was Sakura. I couldn't contain my surprise at her upbeat smile.

"Hey, Alice. Sorry to come by so suddenly, but I thought you could use a change of clothes. You haven't had time to go shopping yet, right?" She held up a brown bag.

"Huh, yeah, thanks . . ." I mumbled as I stepped aside to let her in. She entered the room and took a look around. "Sorry, I haven't really cleaned it yet."

"Don't worry about it. Here," she pushed the bag to me. "These should be your size."

"Thanks . . ." I awkwardly held the bag. "I'm going to take a shower now, so . . ."

"That's fine, I'll wait." And she took a seat at the table. She coughed a bit. "Do you mind if I clean a bit?"

"Huh, go ahead . . ." I inched my way into the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it behind me. Was that weird? That was totally weird, right?

In any case, I was grateful for the clothes. I was not looking forward to changing back into the sweaty ones I currently wore. I examine what she had given me. There was a kimono style tunic and leggings, respectively maroon and pink. I made a face. Who on earth would think these colors went well together? I inwardly cringed, but beggars can't be choosers.

I couldn't take a long hot shower like I'd planned, with Sakura waiting outside, but I still managed to get cleaned up rather nicely. That alone made me feel much better. The clothes fit well enough. I didn't have a hairdryer, so I would have to let my hair air dry before braiding it, which was an inconvenience. I'd been growing it out, on a whim, for a long time; it was down to my waist now, and had a slight wave to it. It was seriously an inconvenience when not tied up. I put my boots on and walked out of the bathroom. I was not prepared for this. The place was spotless.

Sakura sat at the low table, on her knees, drinking tea like it was no big deal. She smiled at me as I came out and stood with my mouth open.

"You look better," she said.

"Yeah, thanks." I closed my mouth and took a seat next to her. It felt awkward, and the worst part was that she didn't seem to notice. She poured me a cup of tea, though I had no idea I even had stuff for that (then again, I hadn't looked through the cabinets yet), and leaned back, perfectly relaxed. I was hunched over with my arms close to my body, staring at her through a curtain of damp hair I kept nervously pushing back behind my ear. I still couldn't get over the hair. Pink is not natural.

"So, what job were you given?" she asked.

"Huh, the library. I'm going to be helping out."

"Sounds good. Do you like to read?"

"Yeah."

"I see."

'_Okay, this is awkward,'_ I thought as the conversation died. I took a sip, even though I hated tea. Sakura was starting to feel the strain. I was never a master at starting conversations with people, and evidently neither was she. So we sat in awkward silence, till I had finished the tea, and my stomach growled. Her eyes lit up.

"Would you like to go get something to eat? My treat!"

And that's how I ended up in a sort of Asian style restaurant, eating dumplings on a stick (dango-again with the vaguely Japanese words), while she scarfed down some kind of fruit bowl (anmitsu, whatever that is). I didn't like it; the texture was weird, and it was too sweet, but I had to eat it because it was the only food I could get and she was paying for it. Outside, people were starting to move about, opening shops and going to work. It was about time for me to go too, but I didn't know how to say it. Everything about this day was turning out to be horribly awkward. Sakura was obviously trying to be nice to me, but I wasn't sure why. I wasn't that nice of a person.

"I have to go train soon. Will you be okay on your own?" she asked as we left the shop.

"Sure," I said without thinking, when I should have said 'Are you crazy, I can't find my way around here! Help me, strange but kind person!'

"Okay, see you later!" she waved as she ran off, pink hair blown back by the breeze. I had a sudden feeling that I'd seen her somewhere before, which was odd, because despite my poor memory, I would definitely remember a girl with pink hair. And now that I thought about it, that Naruto guy and the Old Man sort of looked familiar. I thought about it while wandering the village. I didn't notice where I was going at all. I tried to figure it out, but couldn't really. Where could I have seen people like them? Not in real life, that's for sure. Then maybe . . .

I banged my head against a pole.

"Ow . . ." I clutched my forehead.

"Are you okay?" I looked up through tears to see the most disinterested person I had ever met. I knew him; Sakura had introduced me to him last night. He'd looked really bored, so I didn't get a chance to talk to him. His name was Shima . . . something or other. I remembered him because his hair looked like a pineapple.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I squeezed out through clenched teeth. I looked around me and realized that I was completely lost. This day was going splendidly.

"Watch where you're going. It'll be a drag if you have to go to the hospital."

'Well who asked you?' I wanted to say. "Sorry." He shrugged. Another rude guy. Was this a theme with the men in this village? Were they _all_ jerks? Why couldn't someone be sweet, like Shane . . . before he turned paranoid?

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"The library. I have to work." I said, rubbing my forehead. "Ouch!" My fingers came away with blood.

His eyebrow rose. "I'll walk you there." And he took off in the other direction, yawning. I followed after him, keeping a distance of a few feet between us, holding my sleeve over my forehead, before realizing that I was getting blood on Sakura's clothes.

We arrived at the library, and the guy left without another word. I was left staring at him leaving, a bit dumbfounded, wearing somebody else's clothes, with a cut on my forehead, in a weird world, all alone, with no idea of what I was supposed to do next.

* * *

In the underground base, members of the Akatsuki were starting to assemble, which meant the noise level went up several stages, which meant Sasori's temper shortened, which meant his work suffered, which meant he was seriously staring to question Leader's judgment in establishing this base. Most of the time it was a convenient location for him to work, as nobody wanted anything to do with it; despite their forced proximity during that incident, the Akatsuki members were not close, and rejected the idea of having a place to go back to. Everybody was perfectly happy roaming with their partners across the continent, and only having to be present in avatar form whenever Pein wanted something. But now, as he had had this brilliant idea, he wanted them to actually be present, which posed a lot of problems. For one, Sasori liked quiet when he worked; for another, nobody wanted to buy or cook food (not that Sasori was interested in that) so mealtime was always a mess. They had individual rooms, but these were dusty since nobody slept there, and soundproofing was an issue; everybody could think of Kisame, who had a snoring problem, or Hidan, who liked to do weird rituals in the middle of the night. This had been going on for several days already, and Sasori was tired of it.

Kakuzu and Hidan had arrived three days ago, after Sasori's conversation with Konan (she had gone back to the Hidden Rain); Kisame and Itachi had shown up yesterday; all that was left was Deidara, but Sasori knew he wouldn't show up. Sasori had last seen him in a bar in the Land of Rivers, and had gotten so disgusted with him that he'd left. Ever since, Sasori had stayed in the base, not taking on any missions, but brooding over his puppets and trying not to think too hard about Tenshi.

His hands, holding a puppet's arm and making minute adjustments to the mechanism inside, froze as what passed for a heart in his chest skipped a beat. He gently lowered the piece. It was no use trying to work, whenever she popped into his mind. The girl whom he had kept waiting, and who would forever keep him waiting.

He decided to take a walk around the base to clear his mind. He left his room and wandered around the halls, till he unconsciously arrived at the living room, where the other four were assembled. Hidan took up one couch, carelessly sprawled with his scythe precariously hanging off the edge; Kakuzu was at the table, writing a sheet of numbers; Itachi sat in the armchair with his ankles crossed and eyes closed; Kisame had made himself a spot on the other couch, and ran a brush over Samehada. Sasori paused in the doorway.

"Do you think Leader's losing it?" Hidan said suddenly.

"Maybe, maybe not," answered Kisame, rubbing a spot on his sword. "What makes you say that?"

"Don't listen to him, he is a fool." Kakuzu grumbled from his spot. He punched a few numbers into the calculator.

"Am not! Don't you guys think there's something off, here? First, this place, I mean, why would we even need this thing?" He waved his arm, encompassing the whole base.

"You have a point." Kakuzu said. "This was expensive."

"Yeah! And next, the Jinchuuriki hunt. Isn't that the reason for us being here? If we don't go after them, I don't see the point." Hidan crossed his arms behind his back.

"Hidan," Itachi spoke very calmly, never opening his eyes, "The hunt has not been stopped, only put on hold."

"And it's a good thing." Kakuzu said. "The revenue for this one mission will significantly advance our goals. Bounties have been scarce lately."

"But still, I say Leader's fucking lost it!" Hidan sat up abruptly. His scythe fell to the ground with a clatter.

"This place needs carpets," Kisame remarked.

"Oh, screw you, fish man! Aren't you pissed at being stuck here?"

Kisame shrugged. "I never minded while we were in the other world. I find watching you all very entertaining."

"Are you sure it wasn't those television shows?" Kakuzu said.

"Well, that too."

"I'm telling you . . ." Hidan slammed his fist on the couch. It didn't make much of a sound. "Leader's lost it! Like hell I'm going to bow and scrape to that client, I was promised I could kill things! Unless this mission is a fucking search and destroy, I'm not interested!"

"No one asked for your opinion, Hidan," Kakuzu said.

They argued back and forth. Itachi opened his eyes, and with a faraway look in them, he got up and walked out of the room. He passed by Sasori without meeting his eyes, or acknowledging his presence in any way. Sasori watched his back as he returned to his room. He wasn't interested in this conversation. He wanted to walk around the base, in the quiet darkness, while trying to avoid the fact that he would never see Tenshi again.

* * *

Review! It should get more interesting soon. Basically, there are two converging plotlines here, and both of them are vital to the overarching plot.

Peace out (I forgot to say it before . . .)


	5. Weirdoes

I'm updating again, because why the hell not? I've written up to chapter 11, and have more of the story planned out, so I might as well. Especially since not much is happening for now . . . Although these chapters do serve the purpose of getting everybody properly acquainted with Alice. She's not going anywhere. I promise I won't kill her off.

In any case, review, you know the drill.

* * *

I ended up inside the library, returning books to their shelves. It seemed like that was my job, that and whatever else the head librarian needed me for. I wryly jammed the books were they belonged, precariously balanced on a ladder.

'_Do they think this is a joke? Did they assume I was good with books because I wear glasses? Well, I do like books, but that's still discrimination!'_ I thought as I tried to wedge a particularly thick volume in place. My forehead throbbed, I was tired, hungry, and the clothes I was wearing were ridiculous. My day was going awfully.

'_Still,'_ I smiled slightly at an interesting looking novel. _'It could be worse. I could have been asked to work as a waitress. Being around books might not be all that bad.'_

I'd loved books ever since I was a child. I could only remember the smell, always old, always dusty and a bit moldy, because no one printed them anymore. Everything was digital. Real books were collector's item, expensive and delicate. One of the only memories I had of before I was adopted was of my grandmother's house, and of all the books she had there. She had been old enough to remember when books were always printed and digital paper was far in the future. She had read stories to me, and I could still remember the smell of ink and the feel of paper under my fingertips.

In truth, I'd never actually seen a real library before. This was a job I felt I could enjoy, and even though my day had gone awfully, my spirits were lifted a bit. I wondered if they'd let me borrow some . . .

I was so caught up in my thoughts that when something struck the ladder I lost my balance and fell. I screamed as I hit something soft, books tumbling all around me.

"Ow . . ." I got to my feet, rubbing my back. I was going to get a good collection of bruises before I went home tonight. I looked at what I had landed on. To my surprise, it was a boy. As he stood, I was seriously shocked at what he was wearing. Seriously, a shirt cut above the belly button? Even _I_ had better fashion sense than that. He stood straight, and his head rotated to me. He was pasty white, with black eyes and black hair. He reminded me of an insect; a black and white insect. He smiled, like we'd just met at a coffee shop and he hadn't just caused me to almost break my neck.

"Hello." he said.

"Hello . . ."

"My name is Sai."

"Alice."

He kept smiling. Was this guy autistic? "You must be one the people that arrived recently. It's nice to meet you." It was a bit creepy how his smile never, ever wavered. "I should give you a nickname."

"No, I'm fine, thanks, but I have to get back to work . . ."

"Bookworm." He said, stroking his chin, nodding slightly.

I froze. "What did you call me?"

"Bookworm. It suits you, doesn't it?"

"Are you trying to insult me?" I dead-panned.

"Not at all. What would make you think that?"

"You calling me a bookworm is a pretty obvious clue."

"But we're friends. I wouldn't insult my friends. Except for Naruto." He kept smiling.

"Okay . . . I'm going to get back to work now." I said as I bent down to gather the fallen books. He helped me, and in a minute I climbed back up the ladder. Sai sat down at one of the tables to read a book. I hoped he wouldn't come back and speak to me.

My morning went pretty calmly after that. Sai read a couple of books, then left. I looked up the books he had been reading, and saw that they were all about human interaction and how to make friends.

"Is everyone around here a weirdo?" I mumbled to myself as I left on my lunch break. The head librarian had given me a little money to eat. She seemed like a nice lady. In any case, if I took stock of who I had met so far, it definitely seemed like something was up with the people here, aside from the whole ninja thing, which I was trying not to think too hard about. It's like the people were characters in some sort of comic book.

I wandered through a busy street, trying to find something quick, cheap, and at least semi-recognizable. There were a lot of interesting smells, and a lot of people, too. I was once again shocked at how clean the air was here. No smog or ash to speak of. I passed by a food stand that sold round white buns with pork in them. They smelled good, so I bought a dozen, thinking they would serve as dinner too. I was about to try and find a place to sit down to eat when I heard a voice.

"Alice!" I looked over, to see Irene waving at me from across the crowd. She ran up to me and smiled like she always did. She looked a lot better. Amazing what a good night's sleep and a good meal will do to you. Also, being away from the rest of the people in the group didn't hurt. Some of them seemed seriously wacked out and paranoid. Not that they could really be blamed.

"Hey Irene. What're you doing around here?" I then noticed she had a fresh flower in her hair, a daisy, which suited her perfectly. Her clothes were new, a skirt, leggings, and a long sleeved hoodie, all in pastel colors. She twirled around and spread her arms.

"I'm on my lunch break! Get this, I'm helping out at a flower shop!" Her grin widened. "Can you believe it? They have flowers here, tons of them, and almost none of them are grown in a greenhouse!"

I patted her head. "Good for you. Which shop is it?"

"Yamanaka! The girl then is really nice, her name is Ino. She gave me some clothes to wear, see?" She twirled around again. "And where are you working?"

"A library. A physical one."

"With books and everything?" I nodded. "Whoa, this world is awesome!"

"Weren't you quivering in fear yesterday?" I pointed out. My pork buns were getting cold.

"I was. You were right, once you go out and see it, it really isn't that scary. Besides, Shane is around, and he's all better now."

I found that hard to believe, but I let her go on. We found a spot in a park to eat. I shared my food with her. As we chatted (meaning she talked, I listened), a green and orange blur streaked past. Two people separated and faced each other across from us, breathing deeply, taking on fighting stances.

"Naruto! Prepare to defend yourself!" yelled one, a boy in a green jumpsuit, military-style jacket, with a shiny bowl on his head and caterpillars on his forehead. He yelled as he rushed at his opponent.

"Bring it on, Bushy-Brow!" Naruto yelled back. What ensued could have been taken straight out of a badly choreographed action movie. Punches and high kicks, handstands, flips and karate moves, the two moved so fast I couldn't follow. The funny thing was, both of them had grins on their faces. This was a friendly affair.

"They're both insane . . ." I muttered. On what planet was a fight a show of friendship? Mars?

"Alice, you have a weird look on your face."

"Oh, I bet I do."

We watched them go at it until they got tired, stopped, gave each other a thumbs up (with mister bowl-cut's teeth shining in the sun), and finally noticed we were staring at them with eyes as wide as saucers. Naruto waved with a grin.

"Hey Alice!" He said, running up to me.

"Hey, Naruto . . ." I answered weakly. This world was getting crazier and crazier by the minute.

"Hello!" Bowl-cut said, his tone extremely energetic and extremely cheerful. "My name is Rock Lee! You must be the newcomers. Welcome to our village!"

"Hello! My name's Irene!" My friend sprang up. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hello Irene! You seem like a girl in the full bloom of youth!"

"So do you, Rock!"

"Call me Lee!"

"Okie-dokie, Lee!"

"Kill me . . ." I groaned. I could only handle one hyperactive weirdo at a time. One! Those two's hyperactiveness seemed to merge and grow, until they were both running around, speaking way too loudly, about youth, and energy, and training, and eventually the guy was showing her how to kick and punch.

"One more time Irene! With spirit!"

"Yes, sir! Haaaaaah!"

"And again! More spirit! More youth!"

"Yes sir!Haaaaaaaaaa-AH!"

"Excellent! You are truly a youthful person Irene!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Dear god, kill me now." I face-palmed. Weirdoes! This place was full of weirdoes!

Lee eventually had to leave to go to a training session. Irene waved goodbye with a huge grin, and turned back to Naruto and me, who had been watching and trying to keep our mouths closed.

"That was fun! Being a ninja is so cool!" She kicked the air. "How do I look?"

"Like an idiot. Stop it."

"Wouldn't it be cool if I could become one?"

"No it wouldn't."

"Why not?" Naruto jumped in. "Being a Shinobi is great!"

"I still don't buy that. How can you be a ninja? Seriously, have you taken a look in the mirror? Or are you color-blind? Seriously, dude, what kind of ninja wears an orange jumpsuit?"

He looked down at his clothes, then back at me with a quizzical look. "I've never had a problem with my clothes."

"They're too flashy! Wear some black, why don't you? You must stick out like a sore thumb when you try to sneak around."

"Huh . . . Sorry?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic smile.

I rubbed my forehead. "In any case, I need to get back to work. Irene, so do you. Play-time's over."

She looked disappointed. Naruto waved us goodbye as we left. We went our separate ways, and I returned to the library. To my relief, Sai wasn't there. I'd had enough crazy for one day, thank you very damn much.

I worked until four, putting books away, cataloguing, sweeping, and reading when my boss didn't have a task lined up for me. To her, I was great; free help. I wouldn't be getting a salary, per se, but a set amount of money each week to be able to live.

When I got off, I decided to do a little exploring. I walked down the main street, which was still busy. In the distance, I saw walls and a large gate; that would be the exit. I didn't think they would let me leave, so I went in the opposite direction, towards the huge cliff with the carved faces. I passed the place where Irene worked, the Yamanaka flower shop; I saw the place where Sakura had taken me that morning; I located the ramen stand, and kept that in mind for when I got hungry for dinner. As I went deeper into the village, I saw what I thought was a school; I sat down on the swing outside it and watched as little kids ran out, laughing, so happy that school was out. It made me smile until I saw some of them practicing handsigns and showing kunai to each other; I realized this was a school for ninja, and then it wasn't nearly as cute. Some of them spotted me and I hurriedly went on my way. I came across the large red building with the Japanese kanji on it. I was too intimidated to just walk in through the front door, so I circled around to see if there was anything behind it. There weren't many trees, and the space around the building was pretty clear, so I had no doubt I could be spotted. The thought made me a little nervous.

'_Relax, you're not doing anything bad, nobody said this part of the village was off limits,'_ I gave myself a little mental pep talk. "Nobody's going to come rushing out . . . BAH!" I screamed as a person ran out of a side door.

It was a woman, that much was obvious by her monstrous cleavage. She took one look at me, put one nail-painted finger to her lip, made a handsign, and with a puff of smoke turned into a bush. I was blindsided, blinking repeatedly, when another woman rushed out. I knew this one; Shizune, the one with the pig. She looked furious.

"Lady Tsunade!" she yelled. "Where did that woman go?" She spotted me, and took on a more lenient expression. "I'm sorry, have you seen the Hokage?"

I blinked again. I had no idea what a Hokage was, or who it was. I pointed a finger towards the village.

"Thank you." She smiled, and stomped off, her face becoming like a thundercloud again. "I bet she's gone drinking again! Why can't she understand that this makes it harder for me?"

After she'd gone off, I stared at the bush. I thought that woman's face looked familiar. I looked up at the cliff, and sure enough, there it was. Wasn't it bad taste to have your face carved into a rock like that? What was this place, Mount Rushmore?

A puff of smoke erupted, and out of it emerged the lady-whose-face-was-carved-in-rather-bad-taste-int o-the-mountain. She sighed in relief and rubbed the back of her head.

"Thanks, you really saved my neck." she said, grinning. She was, on a second glance, rather pretty. She examined me for a moment, rubbing her chin. "You must be one of the children who came with that pillar of light. What's your name?"

"My name is Alice, ma'am." I said. She looked sort of normal. That was good.

She laughed. "Aren't you polite? I'm Tsunade, the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Oh, so it was _you_ she was looking for. I'm sorry, but what's a Hokage?"

"The leader of this village. 'Hokage' means 'fire shadow.' The title is given because we are affiliated with the Land of Fire. Other countries have other hidden villages, some with their own Kage."

"I see."

"I'm the fifth Hokage. Look up there." she pointed up. "Those are the faces of the previous Hokage."

"I see." I wasn't all that interested. What had caught my attention was when she'd said 'other hidden villages;' that meant there were more places like these . . . probably with more weirdoes. At least the leader of this one was normal.

Tsunade's eyes swept back to me, incredibly sharp. She leaned over me. Her expression got very scary all of a sudden. "How would you like to go drinking with me?"

"I'm underage . . ."

"Then you'll have water. I know a great place to gamble! I'm going to blow off some steam before Shizune catches me."

And without further ado, she grabbed my arm and dragged me off. Yeah, she was a weirdo too. Why were there only weirdoes in this village?!

* * *

The pair had passed the border of the Land of Rain. They would soon arrive at the hidden village. They crossed through the drab countryside, the horses' hooves sinking into the mud, the rain showered everything in cold unending drops; the air was fresh with the smell. The pair had changed from loose, light colored cloths to heavy black cloaks pulled down over their faces. The smaller one raised his slightly to peer at the scenery. He saw only hills, clouds, lakes, and the endless rain.

Suddenly, the taller one reared the horses in. In front of them a figure shimmered into view, a black shadow with multicolored static running through it, its golden eyes staring from a featureless face. Its only visible feature was the bun on its head. The rain passed right through it.

"I hope your journey has been safe."

"Yes it has, thank you." said the smaller one. "We will arrive at your village soon."

"Arrangements have been made. Our members have gathered."

"Very well."

The static figure bowed its head, and disappeared. The taller one looked over its shoulder at his companion. Their eyes seemed to meet. The rain grew heavier.

"Let's hurry." he said. His words were almost completely drowned out by the sound of falling rain. The smaller one nodded. They proceeded in the wet, drab land, side by side.

* * *

I received an inquiry about Alice's pairing. To answer that, I have not given it much thought. It would be feasible to include a romantic element, if there is a demand for it. If any of you guys wants to make a suggestion, I'll listen.

Again, I know not much is going on, but please review.

Peace out.


	6. Complete Fool

Hey, it's me again, with a brand new chapter out! I got a bunch of great reviews, so I'm happy, and I update. I've had to pace myself because while I do have several more chapters written, I need time to think about how I'm going to go about writing the story. Plus, time is rapidly becoming a valuable commodity. Work is seriously starting to pile up. I'd rather update once every week or so than put everything at once and leave you guys without anything for a month or more. I'm not that cruel.

In any case, review, you know the drill. I promise, things are going to HAPPEN in the next chapter.

* * *

'_Kill me,'_ I thought. _'Kill me now.'_

"Waitress! Another round!"

'_Dear God, what have I done to deserve this? Surely sneaking a beer when I was fifteen doesn't warrant _this_ kind of punishment.'_

"Hey kid! Let's do this! I'm counting on you!" The Hokage waved from her table, downed a cup of sake, and grinned at me. She was well and truly drunk by now, her cheeks red and her gaze unsteady. Her bosom heaved as she took another drink. I was ready to go home now. But no, I was stuck at this table, surrounded by scary looking people, playing a game of high stakes poker.

I hadn't known the Hokage had a fondness for gambling. She'd dragged me first to a Pachinko parlor, where I accidentally doubled my money, then to a bunch of other gambling halls with shady people, where I won even more. She'd decided to give me all her money and let me play, saying that the future of the Hidden Leaf was in my hands, just as she kept drinking. She called me her lucky charm, even though I was doing all the work.

'_Can someone get me out of here? Please?'_ I mentally pleaded as the cards were dealt. _'I've never played this before! Okay, I know the rules, but still! God, if you get me out of this, I promise to never think a mean thought again, no wait I take that back, that's not possible, in any case, GET ME OUT!'_

I glanced around me and caught glares. I shrunk down. Tsunade was cheering me on from her table. This place had a shady atmosphere, with low lighting, the smell of tobacco, and alcohol being poured liberally. I think Tsunade had already been hammered when she dragged us here.

Then it occurred to me. I could just fold. If I lost, then maybe Tsunade would make me quit. I'd already amassed a frightening amount of money (we'd gone through a _lot_ of gambling halls), so surely this should be fine? Following this strategy, I betted as little as I could, then folded. Tsunade looked really disappointed as I returned to our table and took a sip of soda.

"Ah, lucky streak's over," she whined, taking another swig.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I smiled apologetically while thinking _'Yes! Freedom! Now give me back some of that cash.'_

"Well, I'm grateful in any case. I've been having trouble with debt collectors."

"That sounds rough." _'What am I, a cash machine? Get it together, lady, you're an adult!'_

"Not quite as rough as you've add it, huh? Coming from another world and all that." Her speech was starting to slur. Yeah, she was hammered. The smell of her breath was almost unbearable, but I kept with it. I wanted to ask her something, and this conversation was headed in the right direction.

"Yeah, I guess it's been pretty hard. All of us were surprised when that machine brought us here."

"So it was that thing, huh? We took it, of course, but we can't figure out what it does."

"In our world, that was also the case. It was built by a genius scientist."

"Izzat so?" she took another sip.

"Yes." I nodded. "But it was quite a big machine. Where would you put a thing like that? In our world, there was this huge dome built specifically for it."

"We had a bit of trouble moving it. We put it in one of the training halls at the academy, one where nobody ever goes. We roughed it up, we tried examining it, no luck. Damn thing won't budge. Our science division says it's harmless, that it needs some kind of power mechanism to work. Without it, it's just a hunk of metal." She leaned back. "It's been such a bother. Danzo wants it destroyed, and all of you locked up, but what am I supposed to do? You're all just kids, with no chakra at that. I get that Orochimaru might be interested, but other than that, I don't see how you could be a threat. You're just kids." Her eyelids started to drop.

'_Come on, don't fall asleep now!'_ "Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"

She snapped up. "I think I'm going home now." She stood and tottered. I got my arm around her just in time. The waitress was giving us a dirty look, so I took Tsunade's wallet and put a wad of cash on the table. I took the opportunity to take half my earnings. Maybe now I could buy some real clothes.

I walked Tsunade outside. It was dark already. The empty streets were lit up by the glow from bars, restaurants, and gambling halls; some had paper lanterns out. I could see the crescent moon overhead. Now what was I supposed to do? I didn't know the way!

"Lady Tsunade, there you are!" I heard her before I saw her. Shizune came running, looking really angry.

"Hey . . . Shizune . . ." Tsunade slurred. "Meet my lucky charm, Alice!" I was crushed under her arm.

"Huh, we've met." I blushed, trying to wiggled away.

Thankfully Shizune seemed to know what to do. She took Tsunade off my hands, apologized sincerely to me, and dragged her off. I waved goodbye, tired but relieved. That was over, and I had some money in my pocket. Quite a lot of it, too. Now was just the matter of getting home.

"What are you doing here?"

"BAH!" I screamed and jumped. I turned around. "Oh. It's the Old Man. Stop sneaking up on people like that!" I put my hand to my chest. Christ, one day he was going to give me a heart attack.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that." He sighed. "I saw you with Lady Tsunade."

"Yeah, she dragged me to a bunch of gambling places and got roaring drunk. So much for a dignified leader." The words I usually kept to myself were spilling out. I was tired, hungry, and I wanted a shower. The places I had been dragged to were grimy. And I needed to wash Sakura's clothes. I could only imagine the look she'd give me if I gave them back smelling of tobacco and booze.

The Old Man raised his eyebrow at me. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. Now if you'll excuse me . . ." I turned away from him took my foot off the ground in preparation for a step, realized I had no idea where I was going, froze, lost my balance, and nearly fell. He caught me around the waist.

"You sure fall a lot." he remarked. I stepped away, blushing in embarrassment. "You don't know how to get home, do you?"

"Well, of course not." I snapped.

"I'll walk you."

"No thank you. I can find it by myself."

"Oh really? I bet you don't even know in which part of the village you are."

" . . . the seedy part?"

"Correct, but that doesn't help you. Follow me." And he walked off, slow enough that I could follow, but still at a brisk pace.

I decided that walking by myself in the dead of night in a shady district was not a good idea, so I swallowed my pride and ran to catch up with him. He walked with one hand in his pocket and his nose in his book. I kept a distance of about six feet in between us. After a while, he turned back to me.

"You know, I don't bite."

"You're a shady Old Man. I bet you're also a closeted pervert."

He sighed. "A young lady such as yourself shouldn't be thinking that."

"Hey, I'm almost an adult!"

"I'm sure you are."

"It's true! I'm almost grown up!"

"Yes, yes."

"Don't patronize me!" He walked too fast, so I had to half-run to follow. "I may not be as old as you, but I'm a grown-up!"

"I'm not disagreeing."

"Yes you are!"

"Did you hear me disagree?"

"I can hear it in your voice! You're mocking me without words!"

"Is that so?" I didn't know you could sound so uncaring while asking a question. I stopped in the middle of the road while he moved ahead. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I balled my fists. Who did this guy think he was, patronizing me like that? I bent down and snatched up a pebble. I aimed and threw it. It hit him squarely on the back of the head. He stopped. He rubbed the back of his head. He turned to me, and he couldn't have looked more like he didn't give a damn if he tried.

"That hurt." he remarked. He snapped his book shut. "You have good aim."

"Eh? Huh, thanks." I mumbled a bit, surprised by the sudden compliment. This was not the reaction someone should have after a person throws a rock at you.

"Do you have any martial arts training?" he inquired.

"No," I laughed. "Are you kidding? No one does martial arts anymore. I run track, and play soccer. I swim every once on a while. That's about it." I scratched my finger down my cheek.

"I see." He looked at me for a moment with his dead fish eye. "Do you have any interest in learning?"

I burst out laughing. That surprised him, at least. "Seriously? Why would I do that? Are you sure you haven't gone senile, Old Man?"

"I don't think you need to laugh quite that hard . . ."

"But it's funny! Me, punching and kicking things? Nah, count me out." I wiped a tear away, grinning.

"Your reaction is rather odd."

"Oh?"

"Wouldn't it be worth it to learn at least a few self-defense techniques?" He started walking again, and I followed, a bit closer behind. At least I was now interesting enough for him to put his book away.

I shrugged. "I don't see the point. If there's a confrontation, you're always better off running."

"What if you're cornered?"

"I wouldn't get myself in that kind of situation." I said drily. "Constant vigilance and a little common sense go a long way. And if that fails, there's always pepper spray. But if somebody comes after me with a knife, I don't think twice. I'd rather get better at running than waste my time learning techniques that will never come in handy." I kicked an empty soda can. It rattled down the street with an empty clang.

"You are quite a logical young woman, aren't you?"

"I'm going to be a scientist one day." I said proudly.

"You should still learn at least some type of self-defense. What if I attacked you right now?"

"There wouldn't be anything I could do about it." I said almost immediately. I saw his eye widen out of the corner of mine. I spread my arms, and shrugged. "You're a ninja. I bet you've got some fancy techniques and some wicked moves. I doubt I could outrun you, either."

"Following that train of thought, why are you walking alone at night with me?" There was that odd expression, and that foolish sounding, slightly dubious tone of voice.

"I figure, if you were going to do something, you'd have done it long ago. It's like, I'm perfectly aware of how dangerous this village is. I could get locked up, torture, experimented on, killed, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

"So?"

"So why worry?" I skipped a bit ahead and kicked the can again. "I can't do anything. I can't control anything. I'm pretty sure nothing's going to happen to me. I mean, why give us jobs and apartments if you're going to get rid of us? If anything, it wouldn't be worth the trouble."

"You _are_ quite logical." He sounded amazed.

"Why's that so surprising?" I pouted.

"You're a teenage girl. Most have little sense."

"I feel like I should be offended by that . . ." A lock of hair popped up on my head, and I smoothed it back down.

"You don't look that smart." he muttered, rubbing his chin. "If anything, you seem . . . like a complete fool."

"Now I _am_ offended. Well, you might be right about that. Ah, here we are." We'd arrived at my apartment. "I'd invite you in, but I don't have anything to offer." I said a bit sarcastically.

"That's fine. I'll be going now."

"Sure. Thanks for walking me."

Kakashi didn't move. He seemed a bit lost in thought, staring up at the sky. I tilted my head to the side, waiting for him to speak. Finally, I shrugged, and went up the stairs. He snapped out of it when I was halfway up and blinked a couple times in surprise. I leaned down over the banister.

"What's wrong? Gone senile, Old Man?" I gave a wicked laugh and sprinted up the rest of the stairs. As I got into my apartment, I thought I heard him speak.

"Strange girl . . ."

* * *

Along the road, five men moved hurriedly, their footsteps leaving dents in the mud that were quickly filled with water. They all wore black cloaks with red clouds, and their expressions varied from emotionless to angry. Around them, night was falling. The countryside was dull gray, wet, and in front of them loomed the Hidden Rain Village, an industrial mass of towers and gray metal almost as ugly as the country. They stopped in front of the gate, and waited while the complex process of opening it was started. They took refuge under a nearby shelter.

"Why do we have to meet this guy again?" Hidan grumbled, his robe open despite the chill. He ran his hand over his hair. "Tch, this is such a pain!"

He'd been complaining the whole way there, and everybody was sick of it. "Hidan. Be quiet, or I'll kill you." Kakuzu growled.

"Yeah, like you could pull it off."

"I wonder what the mission is," Kisame wondered aloud. "We weren't given any details."

Sasori, inside his puppet, reflected on that. It was true, none of them had been told anything. Sasori himself knew vaguely what it was about, but the details of the affair escaped him.

"I'll tell you already," said Hidan. "There isn't going to be a mission once I'm done." He grinned nastily.

"Do not do anything foolish." Itachi said, opening his eyes. He was pale. In this kind of weather, his health was taxed.

"Like you don't think this is a waste of time, Uchiha. Don't play dumb, we're all thinking it. Leader's off his rocker, and . . ."

"Hidan. Take care what you say." Itachi's eyes glided to him, then to the rain. It poured harder than before. They all understood.

The gate creaked open, and they filed in. It didn't take them long to walk through the empty city, with its towering skyscrapers pressing down on them, so large they seemed to suffocate everything, to a particular tower standing even above the rest. In the city of metal, wires, and concrete, the Akatsuki had gathered.

In the ground-floor room, so large it was like a cave, dark, and cold, they took their places in an arc, on large Kanji carved into the stone. A torch lit behind each one. Once Pein and Konan had come, they were ready. One spot was left empty.

The wide double doors split along the middle, letting a fine ray of light pierce through. Footsteps echoed. A pair of black cloaked figures strode in, the smaller in front, the taller back and a little to the right. They both walked confidently, and stopped in front of the half-circle of the Akatsuki. The smaller took several more steps forward, and reached up to lower his hood.

"DIE!"

Hidan sprang forward, too suddenly for anyone to stop him. His scythe flashed. The ring of metal on metal shrilled through the air.

* * *

And, cliffhanger! Sorry.

Peace out.


	7. Really Red

Okay, folks! I'm back again. Hope this chapter is a bit more exciting. Review, 'kay? Remember . . .

_I see you._

Off we go!

* * *

The person pushed against him, a completely black naginata tightly gripped in his hands. Hidan pressed back, his scythe interlocked with the handle of his opponent's weapon. He could only see the lower half of this person's face, and it bore a tightly drawn mouth. Hidan's feet grinded against the stone floor; the person's arms trembled. They were evenly matched.

"You aren't bad," Hidan growled. "You must be a bodyguard. Sorry, but I'm sacrificing your master to the glory of Jashin! Out of my way!"

"Tch . . ." said the person, biting his lip. They both pressed harder, drawing closer, fighting to push the other back. The person bit down on the inside of his cheek, while Hidan grinned maniacally. He gave a particularly strong shove, and the person stumbled back a step, catching himself just in time, returning to the stalemate. A dark glare suddenly flashed from underneath his hood, and a malignant aura, hostile and angry, reared its head. Like curling mist emanating from the black-clad figure, a chilling rage and desire to kill rising through the air, it raised every fighting instinct in their bodies. They all felt it. It sent every warning signal they had ringing, triggering tightly wound reflexes honed from years of fighting. They sensed the danger in that aura, and reacted.

What happened next was extremely quick. Kakuzu's arms shot from his body, connected by strings. Sasori reared Hiruko's tail. Kisame grabbed Samehada's handle. Konan prepared to intervene, paper in her hands. They started to move. Hidan ripped his scythe away and swung. The person gripped the handle and swept the blade through the air with a speed that made it sing. They two weapons were about to collide, and the Akatsuki started to move. An authoritative voice lashed through the air, stopping them in their tracts.

"TSUBAKI!"

The aura dissolved. Hidan's scythe met empty air, and he stumbled. In an instant the person was crouched at the other's side, black cloak swirling and settling down in a pool around his body. The naginata was gone. His hood had fallen off.

"What the . . ." Hidan gasped. The Akatsuki froze.

The smaller figure came forward, pushing his hood down. His steps echoed in the sudden still silence. "That is quite enough. Lord Pein, if you would be so kind as to restrain your followers."

"This is unexpected." Kisame was the first to recover. He shouldered Samehada, and grinned; his gaze bore down upon the two, amused. "That both of you are women. You have interesting eyes."

The taller one straightened up, keeping her body protectively oriented towards the smaller, glaring at Hidan. The pair, unmasked, was quickly examined by the Akatsuki, their appearance taken in in a glance.

The smaller had a distinctly imperial look to her, with high cheekbones, small pink mouth, and eyebrows that arched elegantly over shrewd and clear eyes; her glossy black hair was precisely cut in a traditional hime style. The other was only an inch or two taller than her, but carried herself with a definite purpose and a strength that made her seem bigger. Her hair was pure white, cut in the same style as the other only much more crudely, and was pinned up, kept in place by a long-toothed comb.

What stood out about the pair were their eyes. Mismatched, black and red; the smaller had a left eye that was black, and a right one that was red; the taller had the opposite, red on the left and black on the right. It was as if the eyes had been switched.

There was some commotion among the Akatsuki, until Pein gave the order for them to get ahold of themselves. When everything was reasonably calm, the smaller one stepped forward a handful of steps more. She faced the throng of criminals with steady eyes and a lifted chin.

"My name is Kiyoko. I come from a small country in the mountains east of the desert. This is Tsubaki, my bodyguard and servant." Kiyoko bowed respectfully. Her companion didn't take her eyes off them. "We have traveled this far because we have a request. Though we did not expect for almost all of you to be present to hear it. Am I to assume you will all work?"

"This has been agreed to beforehand." said Pein. "All members of the Akatsuki will participate. The payment had been settled as well."

Kiyoko looked surprised. She turned to Tsubaki with questioning eyes, who shrugged.

"They offered." she said. Her voice was bored. "I wasn't going to say no."

"Very well, then." She faced the Akatsuki once again. "Do I need to explain our request?"

"If you would." said Konan.

"I want you to find somebody. A girl."

Sasori twitched.

"I do not know what she looks like. She might be wearing a blank black and red mask, and or a black kimono fastened with a red obi belt. In age, she would appear to be young, perhaps in her late teens or early twenties. I do not know what her face looks like, or her eye color. She has no name that I know of."

"Those criteria are too vague," grumbled Kakuzu. One of his arms was detached and had a firm hold on Hidan's neck, while the latter struggled vainly. "We need a picture, or a better description if we are to capture the target."

Kiyoko laughed, light and clear as a bell, startling them. "I do not expect you all to capture her. I doubt you ever could. I only want you to find her. The distinction is a small, but a vital one. And," she added, with a sure smile. "Rest assured, when my description is over, there is no possible way you could mistake her for another."

"You seem confident." Itachi said. "What have you not told us?"

"Oh, a mere detail. The one we are looking for, you see, has crimson colored wings."

His eyes widened slightly. They were all surprised, even if only a little bit, with the exception of Pein, Konan, and Sasori, who had known beforehand. None of them had seen a person with wings before, much less red ones.

"Are you sure she exists?" Kisame asked dubiously.

"Of course she does," snapped Tsubaki. Kisame twitched. He had forgotten she was there. "Do you think we would travel all this way if we weren't sure? We've both seen her."

"Then why can't you give a better description?" said Kakuzu.

"We were both very young back then," Kiyoko said. "But rest assured, we know she is here. We have received word that she is on this continent, which is why we decided to conduct our search here."

Tsubaki came up and tapped her on the shoulder. Kiyoko smiled, and nodded. She bowed again. "Now then, gentlemen, my lady, we will take our leave. We have lodgings in the Rain Village. Please feel free to call on us should you have any further questions. Oh, and Tsubaki is at your disposal should you require assistance. She is quite an accomplished fighter, and knows most about the Girl with the Crimson Wings. She would be invaluable to you."

"We will accept your offer if the need arises." said Pein.

"Oh, I have no doubt it will. Shall we go, Tsubaki?" Kiyoko chuckled slightly, and turned back to the entrance, walking with a slow, precise step. Tsubaki stared at them for a moment more, her mismatched eyes boring into them, then followed her master out the door. Her cloak billowed around her, and they disappeared with a swish of cloth, leaving the Akatsuki behind to wonder.

There had been something almost ethereal about Kiyoko, a glint of wisdom and knowledge hidden behind her smiling lips. And Tsubaki, her bodyguard, was not better; unreadable; and who among them could forget that dreadful aura?

What bothered Hidan most, as they filed out of the room, was her weapon. Where could she be hiding something that size?

* * *

Several days later, I woke up determined to go find the Machine. Today was perfect; I'd bargained so I would only have to work in the afternoon, I had managed to complete a circuit of the village without getting lost the previous day, and I knew where the Academy was. Everything was set. Today, I would examine that thing myself, and see if I could glean anything from it.

I got out of bed with a spring in my step, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. I had been able to buy proper clothes with the money I'd made while with Tsunade: I had baggy black pants tucked into these weird open toed boots (all they had-shinobi wear), plain white t-shirts, underwear, and a delightful black hooded jacket (this may seem like a plain selection, but one, I wasn't that rich, and two, I wanted to save the money just in case). I had washed Sakura's clothes as best as I could; if they still smelled, she gave no indication of it when I gave them back. She'd said that we should hang out sometime. I had nodded, feeling a bit awkward.

But now, I zipped up my hoodie (the air was a bit nippy) and confidently strode out of my apartment. I stubbed my toe and hopped on one foot for a minute, muttering obscenities to avoid waking the neighbors up, but otherwise I was triumphantly on my way to the Academy.

I went down the stairs, and was suddenly reminded of Kakashi. I'd glimpsed him around, but he usually had his nose in his book, so I didn't go and talk to him. I also had the feeling he was busy. Our eyes had met one time, but I'd ducked into an alley until he was gone. Him being around made me feel like I was doing something I shouldn't . . . which today I was. In any case, I hoped I wouldn't run into him.

I managed to get to the Academy without trouble. It was still too early for the students to be here, so I slipped in unnoticed. The inside was just like a regular elementary school, with long corridors, the wooden floors creaking as I walked. The classrooms had auditorium style desks, blackboards, and all the works. Out the window I saw a training yard, with targets, where there would usually be a sports field, but otherwise, I was shocked at how normal it was. Well, if you considered blackboards normal; there was no technology to speak of, but it wouldn't have looked out of place some sixty or seventy years ago.

'_Funny . . .'_ I thought to myself, wandering through an open classroom, and touching the blackboard. I rubbed the chalk between my fingers. _'It feels nostalgic . . . like traveling to the past. I wonder, did you grow up in this kind of world, Grandma? Did you read paper books, and go to class where the teacher wrote with chalk? That other person too . . . did she live in this kind of world, before the war came?'_

I shook myself, and wiped my hand on my leg. This wasn't the time for nostalgia. I had to find the Machine. I walked out of the classroom, wondering which way to go. Tsunade had said, a training hall where nobody went. Where could it be? I wandered a bit, before suddenly stopping at an intersection. Something was buzzing in my head. I felt a tug on the right hand side. I turned, walked a bit, felt another tug, and proceeded. I went down a flight of stairs, across a courtyard with large trees and a sweet-smelling breeze, arriving at a building. The door was unlocked, so I got in with no trouble. Inside was a spacious hall with an overlooking gallery, the ground covered with slates of polished wood. Sun streamed through the high windows. It reminded me of a gym.

In the middle, the Machine stood, majestic, the light reflecting off the metal branches. I walked up and set my hand against it. It was cool under my palm. The silence, the calm sun, the feeling on my skin, everything felt relaxing, and I could properly think for the first time in days.

My first thought was why? Why would 'the Machine' Doctor Blanche had labored on until her final days be a device to teleport to another world? And why this world in particular? I knew there was no way this was a random choice. She had known exactly what she was doing, but I couldn't understand it. The presence of different worlds wasn't something that had ever been considered in the scientific community; _parallel_ worlds, sure, but a place so different, so odd, where people had such strange powers? Nobody would have even considered it. So why did she . . .

She knew, I suddenly realized. This was the universe she worked in. The vision of the universe she worked under, the vision that couldn't be proven, but that she was so sure of she didn't bother to formally demonstrate it, was the existence of this world. She must have badly wanted to come here. But how did she know? And why did she want to travel here? My fist clenched, my nails scratching down the side of the Machine. It didn't make any sense at all!

"Fancy meeting you here." A drone-like voice cut through the air.

I jumped and turned around, swallowing heavily. It was the Old man, not reading his book, his eye very serious. It narrowed slightly as it surveyed me.

I didn't know what to say so I faced him with my hands clenched on the fabric of my hoodie. A stray lock of hair popped up on my head. He came closer, his footsteps making no sound. He went up to me, so close I couldn't see anything else, staring down at me with an eye that was no longer bored, but very sharp and completely unreadable. My face must have been pale, and I couldn't blink. My heart beat faster, thundering through my ears. He cast a shadow over me. His hand reached up. I swallowed.

And ruffled my hair.

"Eh?" I said. He smiled.

"You are an idiot, but a lucky one. If it had been anyone other than me, you wouldn't be getting out of this so easily." He took his hand away and stepped back. My hair stuck up in all directions. "Don't make that face. I told you, I don't bite."

I exhaled. "Geez, don't scare me like that! I thought I was in serious trouble!" I whined, patting my hair down. "What are you even doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

I turned back to the Machine. "I came here so I could think . . ."

He snorted.

"Don't be rude." I snapped. "I came to think about Doctor Angelique Blanche. She's the one who created this thing." I tapped it with my fingernail.

"And?"

I quickly summed up what I knew about Doctor Blanche, and what I had figured out. He listened intently, and nodded slightly. "Perhaps. It makes a certain amount of sense, especially when you consider that this phenomenon has happened before."

"What do you mean?"

"Several months ago, there were four columns of light, exactly like the one that brought you here. The first two were spaced a week apart; after a month, there were two more in rapid succession. I think it means that somebody from our world created a space-time ninjutsu to travel to another world . . . the one where you, and this Doctor Blanche, came from."

"Of course!" I said, excited.

"Hum?" he looked at me curiously.

I pressed my hands together. "That makes sense! If she had contact with somebody from this place, of course it would mean this world existed, and she would be able to derive scientific theories from that fact! If she knew it was true, she wouldn't need to demonstrate it!" Everything was falling into place. While I didn't know why she would want to come here, I knew where she got her information from. That was one question out of the way. As for the second one, that wasn't quite as easy to answer; I doubted simple scientific curiosity would cause her to go through so much to be able to build it. I mean, there was a rumor she even sold her bombs, the Red Moon V130, to enemy countries to be able to fund her research. Securing the land and the funds to build the facility had surely required extensive sacrifices . . . one of which I knew was her close relationship with my grandmother.

Kakashi didn't look excited like I was. He looked troubled, staring off into space with that serious look in his eye. I blinked a couple of times, and tilted my head to the side. After a while, his eye rotated back to me.

"It's strange . . ."

"Hum?"

"Do you know of an organization called 'Akatsuki'?"

I thought about it. "Hum . . . it sounds a bit familiar, but . . ." He held his breath and I seized upon it, clapping my hands together. "I got it!"

"What is it?"

"'Aka Tsuki' means 'red moon,' right? The bombs Doctor Blanche made had that name. My grandmother suggested that name 'Aka Tsuki,' only Doctor Blanche didn't want the name to be in a foreign language, something about PR, so my grandmother translated it for her. What's wrong?"

He was shaking his head, looking torn between amused and dejected. "What?"

"Alice, 'Akatsuki,' not 'Aka Tsuki.' The first means 'dawn.' The second is not even grammatically correct. 'Red moon' would be 'Akai Tsuki,' not 'Aka Tsuki.' Your grandmother's translation was wrong."

It took a moment for it to sink in. "Are you serious?" I deadpanned.

"Absolutely." He nodded.

I was frozen with shock. I suddenly face-palmed. "Ah, I can't believe this! After all this time, I can't believe she made such a dumb mistake!"

While I was ready to rant for a good long while, Kakashi cut through. "Why would the bombs this Doctor made be named after the Akatsuki?" he asked, gaze wandering wonderingly up at the ceiling.

"Heck if I know." I shrugged. He looked at me pensively. "What? I don't know what she was thinking. My grandmother suggested it in the first place, maybe she took a random word she thought sounded cool. Who cares? It's ancient history now."

"I wonder about that . . ." he muttered under his breath.

After sighing, he told me to go home. I skipped out of there as fast as I could without appearing suspicious, and was on the road back to my apartment in two shakes of a lamb's tail. I could finally breathe. This day had been full of revelations, and I felt a weird thrill run through me. I had gotten one step closer to my goal. Yet, as I nearly ran, unable to contain my excitement, I thought about that word: 'Akatsuki.' I felt that there was something important I should be remembering, but I couldn't figure it out. I decided to put it aside. It didn't seem to have anything to do with Doctor Blanche, or with my current predicament, so there was no use worrying about it. My grandmother could have had a thousand reasons for suggesting the name; maybe there was another famous scientist who had it, or a singer she liked, or a friend they had, or even . . . Maybe somebody else suggested it, as 'Akatsuki' meant 'dawn,' which was my grandmother's name, and she just didn't notice and translated it wrong. It was a bit strange that Kakashi would mention that word, but the connection was too tenuous to really make much of a difference. I continued along the road.

I turned onto the main street, where an agglomeration of people caught my eye. They were muttering nervously, some calling for help, other seeming to plead. They were all looking up. I followed their gaze, and gasped. I ran, pushing everybody aside, and stood, suddenly frozen.

The building was about five stories tall. Hanging onto the banister, the wind waving through her skirt, was somebody I knew. She was in my class. Her name was . . . Sarah? Yes, it must have been Sarah. Her bright, bubblegum pink hair couldn't be mistaken. I remembered her as a cheerful, eccentric girl who loved to joke around. She'd been in my class since we'd started school. We'd been lab partners in sixth year.

Now her face was white, tear stained, distorted. She babbled incoherently, and I couldn't hear her, she was too far up. She shook her head, over and over.

"Sarah!" I called up. She looked down, and our eyes met. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer. What the hell was she doing, all the way up there? I couldn't understand. "Come down, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. "This is all a dream! That's it, nothing more, it's not real . . . a nightmare. Just . . ." she sobbed. "I want to wake up . . . I want to wake up now . . ."

"Sar . . ."

"I HAVE TO WAKE UP!"

My eyes followed her as she fell. Like a rock, she plummeted. All the way down. It took her a long time. She must have screamed, but there was this buzzing in my ears, ah, what did she say? I didn't hear properly. There was something whispering, I knew this voice . . .

'_I'm sorry.'_

Her body crunched on the ground. Something warm splattered on my cheek, my chest. It dripped down. I touched my fingers to my face, and they came away red. There was a spreading puddle growing underneath a broken thing with bubblegum pink hair.

My hands rose, trembling, then fell, and clutched my hoodie. It felt wet.

I screamed. I heard people come running, and others yelling. I screamed until my breath ran out and my throat felt raw. A hand roughly jerked my around. I met a familiar eye, only it wasn't dead looking like usual. It was wide and I imagine a bit panicked. Kakashi held me by the shoulders, his fingers digging into my skin. I saw his mouth move beneath the mask, but the buzzing in my ears was back, and I couldn't quite make it out. He shook me.

I looked down at my hoodie. There was red on it.

"Ah," I said, and he stopped talking. My own voice sounded far to me. "I just bought this, too . . . I really liked it, you know . . . it's going to be a pain getting the stains out." I brought my hand up in front of my face. "That's . . . really _red _. . ."

I fainted.

* * *

A handful of notes you may find useful:

A naginata is a spear-like Japanese weapon, with a long curved blade at the end; a hime cut is a straight hairstyle with long, usually cheek-length sidelocks and bangs, the rest worn long and straight; more information on these can be found on Wikipedia.

The thing with the Akatsuki's name was actually a mistake I made when I first heard the word; I thought it meant 'red moon.'

Kiyoko is written 清子, with the kanji for 'pure' and 'child.' Tsubaki is written 椿, and means 'camellia.'

Please remember to review on your way out. It does mean a lot to me.

Peace out.


	8. Wanting to Wake Up

Hi again. Can't say I'm not a little disappointed with the number of reviews, but what the heck. We're moving on, people!

* * *

Ever since I was little, I'd hated the color red. In preschool, I would throw away the red paper, the red scissors, the red crayons, deliberately spill paint over the other children's drawings while pretending it was an accident, and once cried when I'd gotten a red dress for Christmas. I'd been scolded, that time, because it was such an ungrateful thing to do. It was silly, throwing tantrums over something like that, but I could never help it. I _hated_ red.

I eventually grew out of it, but there was still something about the color I disliked. It stayed limited to my clothes, the items I bought; just a preference, nothing more. Some people don't like the color pink, or black, or yellow. It was just a matter of taste, though it didn't start out that way.

I didn't know why I was suddenly thinking about that. Maybe it was the color I had seen on my hands, though at the moment I didn't know how it had gotten there. In any case, I disliked the color. I felt that I didn't want it anywhere near me. But that was only a passing thought. The next one was, 'how do I turn red into white?' I couldn't quite remember where I'd heard that before. It was a problem, because I didn't know how to do it, and it seemed like it was something I was supposed to do. What if I couldn't? What would happen if red _never _got turned into white? And _what _was I supposed to turn white, anyway?

In any case, it hardly made sense. I had to wake up now.

* * *

I woke up in the hospital. My head ached, and I felt hot. I still had my clothes on, although my hoodie was missing, and I was lying on a bed with no cover on me. I sat up, a little dizzy, and blinked.

"BAH!" I screamed and tumbled off the bed.

" . . . Are you alright?"

"Ow . . . Can't you clear your throat or something? Geez, Old Man!" I rubbed my head as I righted myself. "That hurt . . . Why are you even here?"

"Do I get even a little credit for carrying you?" he deadpanned. He was sitting on a stool, arms and legs crossed. His bored eye bore into me.

"Why would you do that?"

"You don't remember?"

"What are you . . ." I smoothed a stray hair behind my ear and caught something red on the edge of my vision. I looked at my hand. Oh, right. "That. Oh, yeah, I'm totally fine . . . really, you didn't have to carry me here. I was feeling a bit ill, is all."

"Alice, you were in shock." He pointed out.

"No I wasn't."

"Yes, you were." His tone was a strange cross between mounting anger and weariness.

"I was _not_." I snapped. "And don't you say I was."

"You saw your friend commit suicide. If you didn't feel anything, I would worry about your mental health."

I shrugged, though my hands were trembling now. I didn't want to talk anymore, but he'd gotten one detail wrong. "Sarah didn't commit suicide."

"She . . ."

"She thought it was a dream. She thought she was going to wake up. She didn't intend to die, so it wasn't suicide."

"There you go again, with that strange logic. The fact is that she jumped from the fifth floor."

That was it. I didn't want to do this anymore. I stood, my legs a little wobbly, and checked the clock. It was noon already. My jacket wasn't around, but heck, it was probably ruined anyway. I walked out into the lobby.

"Where do you think you're going?" He came after me.

"Home, I guess." I couldn't go to work like this. I wandered outside, Kakashi at my heels. It was raining lightly.

"I'll walk you." he said hurriedly.

"Fine."

This time, he was the one following me as I walked as fast as possible through the wind and rain, getting soaked, trying not to think about all this. I got to my building, fumbled for the key, opened the lock, went in, and slammed the door in Kakashi's face. I did not want to see anybody from this world right now.

I threw myself on my bed. The rain pounded on my window. I heard a knock, but ignored it. After a while, footsteps receded and I could relax. Only, that meant seeing the face Sarah had made while hanging on to the banister. I remembered, which was strange, because she'd been so high up, and my memory wasn't good to begin with; I could see how terrified she had been. She'd called this a nightmare. Maybe, just maybe, it was, and she'd escaped. Only, that wasn't possible. I could see why she would think that, though.

I hugged my pillow to my chest and lay with eyes wide open and tear trickling out, staining the bedding. This couldn't be happening, could it? Really, what kind of joke was this? Was God playing a trick on us? I sat up with my pillow. It was worth a shot. I put it aside, climbed out of bed, and kneeled with my hands together. My hair had come undone, and fell around my shoulders in a curtain of damp locks. Outside, the storm was in full swing. Rain banged against the window, driven by merciless wind.

"Oh God, thank you for everything you've done, for keeping us in good health and watching over us." I mumbled, even though I couldn't hear myself, the window was rattling so loud. I raised my voice. "Please help us get out of here. We're stuck, and I think some of us aren't doing very well. I don't know what we did to deserve this, but surely nothing Sarah did could . . . It wasn't supposed to happen, is what I'm saying. We need help. _I_ need your help. I want to go home. But I guess. . ." My hands tightened. "If you have the power to help, you should have the power to make it so that this didn't happen in the first place. The conclusion is, if you do exist, you're a bastard for doing this, for letting this happen, whatever, in any case, this is useless, so WHY AM I STILL TALKING?"

I hurled my pillow against the wall, tears streaming down my face. "Stupid, useless, what good is God, anyway? It's not like some angel is going to come down and save us . . . it's not like there's such a thing as divine mercy, or shit like that . . ."

I drove my fist into the wall. The pain felt refreshing. I couldn't understand any of this. Was there a purpose in us being here? Were we being punished for something? Or were we just unlucky? I was getting dizzy. The room spun around me. The noise of the storm was deafening. My head hurt, my legs and arms tingled, my mouth was dry and tasted like blood. I clutched my head, fingers tightening around clumps of that long, cursed hair I could never bring myself to cut.

I collapsed, and didn't feel it. I blacked out again, and started to have nightmares. The fall rewinded, covered with static like an old television, blurry, up and down, up and down, the girl fell. She screamed, and her body went _splat_ on the ground, showering everything with red. Then, I saw her face, and the faces of my other classmates, so terrified and looking for something to blame, desperate to believe that this was all a dream. I wanted to believe that too. More than anything, I wanted to wake up.

After a while, it seemed like I was the one falling. I saw the ground rushing towards me, but I couldn't scream. I tumbled down, the ground vanished, and I smelled roses. I saw something bright at the edge of my vision, turned my head, and saw that I had wings. Blindingly white, pure, lighting up everything, glowing from within.

In my sleep, it felt like somebody was there. A presence, bright and large, standing in a pure black void, a world with nothing in it; and when I strained my eyes to make out a form, I saw the outline of a person with a loose dress and long, flowing hair. She was so bright, as bright as the wings I had, as if they had once been one and the same. She turned to me, and even though I couldn't see her face, when she spoke, her voice held a clear familiarity.

'_Alice. Wake up.'_

"Wake up. Alice!"

The girl seemed to smile, and gave a small wave. She faded away, my wings faded away, and I felt sensation return to my body. Little by little, I felt the cold floor underneath me, a rough hand on my shoulder, a throbbing pain in my head, a spreading chill. My fingers twitched. My eyes blurred open.

"Alice!" It was Shane. Looking more harried then I'd ever seen him, with black spots under his eyes and his wavy hair more tousled than usual, he leaned over me.

"Move." That was Sakura. She gently pushed him back and checked my head with the sure hands of a professional. She hummed to herself. "You're fine. No concussion, no fever. You must have passed out from stress or exhaustion."

"Really? I feel fine." I sat up.

Suddenly Shane's arms were around me, embracing me tightly, his hand in my hair. "Whoa, what's with you? Shane?"

"You're such an idiot. Do you have any idea I worried I've been? I haven't seen you since we got here, and when I manage to figure out where you live, I find you cold on the floor! You have got to stop worrying me like this!" His arms tightened.

"Am I intruding?" I looked over at the doorway, and saw Kakashi outlined in the dark. It was still storming outside. I couldn't see his face at all, though his ridiculous hair stood up as usual.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I came to make sure this girl hadn't fallen and hit her head, seeing how she seemed exhausted and out of sorts. She falls a lot, have you realized? I'm sorry, you are?"

Shane stood, and hovered over me protectively. Sakura helped me up.

"Shane. You're the one who gave the speech at the hospital. Your name was Kakashi, am I correct?" His tone was unmistakably hostile.

"You have a good memory." His eyes flitted to me. "Are you alright?"

I shrugged. "Just peachy." What the heck was up with this atmosphere? It was tense. I could feel the hostility crackling through the air, and it wasn't just Shane. Kakashi was not his usual carefree, sort-of-out-of-it self; he was dead serious.

"That's good."

"Why are you here?" Shane advanced a step, blocking Kakashi's view. He looked over his shoulder at Sakura. "You too. Stay away from us. We aren't like you freaks."

Shock bloomed on Sakura's face. Shane grabbed my arm, pulled me away from her, and thrust me back. He glared at the two shinobi.

"You aren't welcome here. You may try to split us up, but we're sticking together. Don't make think you can trick us." he said, voice low. "None of us are going to get friendly with you freaks."

"That's . . ." Sakura protested.

"Stay away from us!" Shane yelled, his face like a thundercloud. "And stay away from Alice! She isn't your concern. No one can understand her better than we can. You'll never be able to help, you'll never understand her, and people like you shouldn't try! She isn't some kind of toy, or an interesting object you can look at and prod!"

"I get it. We're leaving." Kakashi turned away.

"But Kakashi-sensei . . ."

"Come on, Sakura. There are other things we can do." He gave her a meaningful glance, and she nodded, her hand falling back. She waved sadly as they walked out the door.

"Bye, Alice. I hope you feel better soon."

Kakashi gave a backward glance as he put his hand on the door. "Maybe . . . we are the ones who can understand her . . .

After they left, Shane didn't stick around. He warned me not to get involved with the people of this world anymore. He said he would give Irene the same warning; apparently she'd been getting very friendly with some of them, among them the daughter of the flower shop where she worked, and a weird guy with a bowl cut. I felt this wasn't the right way to go about it, but Shane was a little scary right then, so I didn't speak up. He mentioned that the others were having a hard time, and cursed at the people of this village. I didn't think it was their fault. In fact, I felt bad about his attitude towards Sakura and Kakashi. They'd done so much, having them treated like that didn't sit quite right with me. Though Shane seemed really bothered by how much contact I'd had with Kakashi, especially. The dark look on his face as he cursed him under his breath, saying strange things, scared me more than anything else I'd seen while here.

Right before he left, Shane had returned to his former self, blushed and given me a hug, before patting me on the head and telling me to be brave, that he'd get us out of this. He took a lock of my hair in his hand, tenderly, as if holding a flower, blushed harder and hesitantly said that I looked good with my hair down. As he left, I suddenly thought he was a complete fool.

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura listened at the window while the boy talked to Alice. He rambled on about the others, staying away from the people of the village, and warned her not to get involved with them-especially Kakashi.

At that, Sakura said "You've been spending an awful lot of time with her, haven't you Kakashi-sensei?"

"I could say the same for you." He said, his eye fixed on Alice as she listened to Shane talk. She stood stock still, her face white, though her exact expression was shaded by the curtain of her hair. His eye twitched when he hugged her and touched her hair. Sakura noticed his looking, and gave him a disapproving glance, one eyebrow raised.

"You know, she's seventeen."

"I know. Why are you mentioning that?"

"You seem interested in her."

"Something bothers me about that girl. Have you noticed anything?"

"So far? She seems strangely adaptable, and fits in well around the village . . . but then again, so does her friend. Other than that, nothing."

"Maybe it's my imagination."

"Maybe . . ." Sakura smirked. "You have a crush on her?"

Kakashi wasn't listening, instead was thinking intently. His hand wandered to his headband, paused, and he seemed to decide against it. Sakura was smirking mischievously, and he sighed. He saw her look.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

Kakashi sighed again, and watched closely as the boy left Alice's apartment. He then turned to Sakura. "I had them run an additional test on Alice's blood. While she does not have chakra, she does have something in her. They couldn't tell what it was with just that test, but it might be related to the light seen inside her mind. There's something inside Alice, and she doesn't seem to know it's there. This situation is intriguing, and a little worrying."

"How so?" The two kept talking as they jumped down the building and onto the street.

"Root might make a move, not to mention what would happen if Orochimaru hears of this. We've kept this under wrap so far, but a streak of light like that isn't easily missed." They turned onto a large avenue and talked under the cover of noise, looking relaxed.

"Something like that happened several months ago, right? There were . . . let's see, four before this one? That makes five total."

"Yes. Tsunade had us search for similar incidents, but there is not one reported case of strange humans appearing near the lights. This makes me wonder . . ." He rubbed his chin. He told her what he'd figured out by talking to Alice. That there might be a connection between their worlds, made by somebody who'd created a jutsu to travel through dimensions, prompting the Doctor to create the Machine.

Sakura gave it some thought. "But in that case, that would be a space-time ninjutsu. But the students got here using a machine made by a scientist." She scratched her forehead. "No matter how you look at it, this would be an incredibly complex jutsu, not many shinobi could pull it off. I don't see how you could recreate that, no matter how advanced the science you were using."

"That isn't what worries me most." Kakashi said.

Overhead, the clouds were threatening rain again. Thunder grumbled and suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the street. Kakashi and Sakura had just enough time to get under an awning before the sky burst and the air was flooded.

"This jutsu was obviously a space-time ninjutsu, as you said. In this world, there are limited ways of accomplishing this. The most obvious would be . . ." His left hand came up to his headband. "No doubt about it. Only the Sharingan would be capable of this. Which means . . ."

"Sasuke . . ." Sakura whispered.

"That, which would mean Orochimaru. The other possibility is . . ."

"Itachi, which would mean . . ." Her hand went to her mouth. "No way!"

"There's more. Alice reacted to the word 'Akatsuki' . . . she mentioned that the bombs the Doctor created were supposed to have been named that. The connection is distant, but it makes it much more likely that the creator of the space-time ninjutsu could have been connected to the Akatsuki. Following that logic, Itachi Uchiha seems the most likely culprit."

"It's really a stretch . . . but you're right. I don't know how much Sasuke has improved since he left, but I wonder if it's so advanced he could do things like this."

"Precisely. All evidence points to Itachi Uchiha. This means that we have to seriously consider the possibility that the student's presence and the Akatsuki are connected. Especially in regards to Alice; it was her grandmother who suggested the name. Report this to Lady Tsunade, but make sure no one else hears of it, not even Shizune."

Sakura nodded gravely. "I understand."

"I'll see you around." He made a handsign and disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura to ponder the gravity of the situation, alone, while rain poured from the heavens.

* * *

We'll be seeing more of Kiyoko and Tsubaki in the next chapter. As you may have noticed, I'm going to be working with two plotlines that will eventually converge, one with Alice, the other with the Akatsuki. There will be some overlap between the two, though, before they finally merge and the plot continues onto its merry way to resolution.

So review!

Peace out.


	9. Heart-Wrenching Story

And, moving right along. Off we go!

* * *

Around a conference table in Pein's tower, the Akatsuki were in the midst of an argument. Pein and Konan watched, shadowed eyes betraying no thought, the former leaning back with fingers carefully intertwined. The table shuddered with the impact of a fist.

"Enough of this!" said Kakuzu. "We are not getting anywhere."

The subject of the argument was how to go about the new mission. It was rather long and full of arguing, so it can be best summed up as follows: nobody wanted to do it. Not that they had any idea of how to go about it. They were too used to working in pairs, and their missions rarely involved finding people; that was not their expertise. In addition, the rather vague description of the target did not help them very much. A name would have been best, but Kiyoko had said she had none that she knew of. A photograph would have been good, but there was none, and a sketch couldn't be made because they didn't know what her face looked like. A search for a mysterious girl with crimson wings . . . most likely a futile and impossible task; that was what most of them were thinking. Others were simply incensed at not being able to kill people.

They sat in brooding silence. Eventually, Itachi spoke up. "I would be best to split up and search separate areas. If our target has been here, she must have been seen."

Kisame nodded. "Yes. It would avoid us clashing as well, if we each go with our partners. No use clumping together."

"That's all fine and good, but where are we supposed to start?" said Kakuzu. He shook his head. "We need more information."

"Like I'm going to look . . . I'm not a search dog! That bitch can find the target herself, for all I care!" Hidan growled. He slouched in his chair, arms crossed, looking extremely reluctant to be here. Those who were curious as to why he was even present could take note of a black tentacle coiled around his waist.

"We should start by the employer." Sasori suddenly said. All eyes turned to him.

"Do you have a reason for that?" Itachi responded.

"I find it strange that a priestess from the mountain would travel all the way here for no reason."

Pein leaned forward. "Sasori. Explain."

"Their eyes. I assume you all noticed. They were switched."

"Obviously," muttered Hidan.

"Our employer, Lady Kiyoko, comes from a small country, a village, really, in the mountains east of the Land of Wind. It is close enough that there has been minimal trade between the two for decades, especially with the Hidden Sand. It is home to several ninja clans, but is rather secretive. While not much is known about their internal structure, they have the unusual custom of designating a young girl as priestess, and worshipping her accordingly. She is chosen at a young age, and is given a companion, to serve as a sort of bodyguard, or servant. The two are raised together, and after some time, they surgically transplant the right eye of one onto the other. Above symbolizing the connection, a jutsu is used to make everything the servant sees with the transplanted eye also witnessed by the master. That is how I know who she is, and where she comes from."

"Is there a point to all this?" Hidan grumbled.

"I find it strange. As the priestess, she would only leave her shrine in the gravest of emergencies. I can see no reason for her to travel all this way, accompanied only by her guardian, on such a wild goose chase."

"Certainly, that makes sense . . ." Kisame wondered. "Or it doesn't, depending on how you look at it. Are you sure this person is even a priestess?"

"There is no mistaking those eyes."

"Tch." Hidan swung his feet up on the table and balanced back on the rear legs of his chair. "Next time I'll get that white-haired witch. I'll cut her up and smear her blood into the wall, pierce her heart and sacrifice her to Jashin."

Sasori raised an eyebrow. "She was faster than you were." he pointed out.

Hidan grabbed his scythe and swung it. It hit Hiruko's tail with a clang. "Say that again, puppet boy."

"If you fought, you would lose." Sasori responded. "Or maybe you wouldn't. Little is known about the ninja in the mountain country. If you aren't careful you might end up dead."

"Yeah, right." Hidan tugged on the cord and grabbed his scythe out of the air, slightly mollified. "Like the witch could pull it off. I could have gotten her in a snap."

"Sasori is right," Kakuzu put in. "Her speed is better than yours, although that isn't saying much, and her reflexes are sharp. I cannot judge her strength or abilities, but I can be sure she wouldn't be sacrificed easily."

"All I need is a scratch, and the witch is done for. And _I_ can't be killed."

"Pein," Itachi turned to Leader, ignoring the commotion. "It might be wise to summon the client and have her explain more than she has. I also am concerned for the motive behind this mission." His eyes narrowed slightly. "The timing, with the recent streak of light, worries me . . ."

They all fell silent. Sasori didn't know what to think. Surely, there was no one else with a Sharingan back in Tenshi's world, so how could the jutsu have been performed? He had a nagging feeling he was forgetting something he'd learned the last time he'd gone, but since he had avoided thinking about that time as much as possible, he couldn't grasp it. In any case, they didn't even know if the light did in fact come from her world. It could have come from any other. Not that it concerned him.

Pein gave it some thought. It took only a sideway glance for Zetsu to disappear into the wall leaving the gathering behind. Through roots in the ground, he sped, flashing underneath the city until he arrived at a high-class inn on the western side. He rose from the floor in the entryway, startling the manager, who immediately recognized his cloak and led him, after a fair amount of bowing, to the rooms Lady Kiyoko had reserved. The inn was a traditional one, with tatami mats, sliding doors, outdoor baths, and a rock garden; it also happened to be the nicest place in the Hidden Rain. Zetsu vaguely wondered how the client could afford something like this, but his other half reminded him of the large sum offered as payment for the mission.

The suite he was led to was on the ground floor, the one with a porch looking out over the pond and rock garden. He was left in front, where a figure sat leaning against the large double doors, one leg crossed, the other held up to her chest. Her white hair fell tumbled over her bare shoulder, twisted into a silky rope. She wore a short kimono with the left sleeve off, white with a long yellow sash tied to the right side and trailing over her knee; underneath, she had bandages across her chest all the way down to mid-thigh. She had white two-toed tabi socks on, and a pair of wooden geta clogs was carelessly strewn in front of her. Tsubaki lounged against the door, chewing a stick. At her side was an empty plate of dango.

She opened her eyes when she heard Zetsu coming, and raised an eyebrow.

"You'll have to wait a bit. Kiyoko's busy."

"This is a message from Lord Pein. If we don't give it to her, it could be a little . . ."

"She's busy." Tsubaki repeated, cutting across him. She stared up with heavy-lidded eyes, the stick going up and down in her mouth.

"**You're an insolent one aren't you? Lord Pein isn't used to be kept waiting**." The black half spoke up.

She didn't bat an eye. "We're the clients. He can wait."

"Can you tell us how long it will be?" White Zetsu said in an attempt to mollify her. Black Zetsu nearly rolled his eye.

"Not too long. She's doing a purifying ceremony right now."

"What for?"

"She couldn't do it while on the journey. It isn't good for a priestess to remain sullied by the outside world for too long. While we're here she has to create a sacred area to reside in. It's a bit of trouble, but it can't be helped."

Zetsu nodded, a bit dubiously. This was strange information to report back . . . but it confirmed some of Sasori's information. Tsubaki was obviously a shinobi of some kind, but it was strange that she carried no visible weapon. Not even a kunai pouch or a sword sheath. The large naginata she had used was nowhere to be seen. This was certainly careless of a bodyguard.

Tsubaki closed her eyes and didn't speak anymore, so Zetsu had to wait, his black half getting rather impatient. Finally, on some unheard signal, Tsubaki rose to her feet. She slid the door open, grabbing her shoes, and shot over her shoulder, "She's ready to see you." Zetsu followed her in.

He was immediately choked by the smell of incense that hung heavy in the hallway, like a thick fog. There was no light, but Tsubaki proceeded, undisturbed by either the darkness or the air. She turned to the left at a junction, and slid open a door. She kneeled down, and bowed slightly. Rising, she entered the room. Zetsu stayed in the entrance, and observed the scene.

The room was the one that gave on the garden, but the doors to the porch had been shut. Despite the scarce light, the shadows were unusually thick; solid black, impenetrable, like blocks of darkness had been shaped as shadows and placed about the room. The air, as the hallway, was saturated by incense.

There was a low table in the center of the room, with cushions, upon one of which Kiyoko sat demurely. She wore a traditional red and white miko outfit, the long white sleeves covering her hands. Her hair was a black curtain, falling unfastened down her back; her posture was arrow straight, her gaze steady, making a stark contrast to Tsubaki, who sat down against the far wall with one leg stretched out and the other pulled to her chest. The two watched him with those unnerving eyes, both gazes seeming to coalesce into a single one, red and black.

Kiyoko smiled and motioned for Zetsu to take a seat.

"I must apologize for the delay. I was conducting a vital ceremony, and to interrupt it would have been quite a bother. Oh, and I apologize for the air. The incense is quite strong. It is part of the ceremony."

"There was no problem **yes there was! Why did we have to wait** . . . don't be so rude!"

Kiyoko only smiled, with berry-red lips and eyes that showed nothing. Tsubaki, despite her vivid hair, seemed to melt into the sold shadows, only her gaze remaining. Zetsu felt, like all the others had felt upon their first meeting, that there was something not quite right with this pair. But on and on, Kiyoko smiled.

"I sincerely apologize. Now, do you have a message for me?"

"Yes. Lord Pein asks that you return to the tower. The Akatsuki needs more information in regards to the mission."

"I humbly refuse."

Her straight faced immediate refusal put Zetsu aback for a moment.

"May I ask why?"

Kiyoko sighed, the smile slipping, replaced by a melancholic face, eyes half-closed, one hand going to her hair. "I have already said everything that needs to be said. We are searching for a girl with red wings. Her location is not known to us, else we would have no need of the Akatsuki . . . though she is in the region of the five great countries. I have little more information I can add, sadly."

"Our Leader will be displeased to hear that." The real problem was that they wanted information on _her_, but she didn't seem willing to cooperate.

Kiyoko's hand stroked through her midnight hair, long white fingers threading through, her expression growing pensive. "Yes, I suppose he would. This will be difficult, I know that." She abruptly tossed her hair back and the smile returned. "Then, I shall ask you to relay a simple reply. This bit of information will serve as an incentive, for a handful of you at least. Tsubaki, if you would."

"Are you sure?" Tsubaki slinked to her feet, movements smooth as running water.

"Yes. Only a little bit, if you would be so kind."

"Why won't you tell us everything? **How can you expect us to find the target if you won't tell us what you know?**"

"Some of this knowledge is meant for a handful of ears only." Kiyoko said. Tsubaki advanced, and looked down on Zetsu.

"Tell them that all of them have seen her before. They may not remember it, but she has shown herself to each and every one . . . and to some more than others."

"We will tell them." Zetsu nodded, though he didn't quite understand.

Kiyoko clapped her hands twice, smiled, and tilted her head. Tsubaki went back to the wall, and leaned against it with her arms crossed. "Now then, there is something I would like to confirm. It seemed like there was one person missing at yesterday's gathering."

"Yes. Deidara."

"Oh?" Kiyoko's smile turned into a dangerous frown. She stroked her hair pensively, gazing up at the ceiling. "That won't do . . . that won't do at all."

"I can go get him, if you want." Tsubaki interjected.

Kiyoko hurriedly looked over her shoulder, her hair fanning out and settling with the sudden movement. "Will you be alright?" Her tone was genuine concern, all ceremony and posturing gone out of it like a deflated balloon. She suddenly sounded like a very young girl. Tsubaki nodded gravely.

"We'll be returning then." Zetsu said. He started to disappear into the ground, and before long, the plant-man was completely gone. Once she was sure he was no longer here, Kiyoko stood, padded over, and took Tsubaki's sleeve, tugging on it like a child. Her eyes shone with worry, her lips trembling slightly.

"Are you sure? Really sure? You don't have to see them if you really don't want to."

"Kiyoko, I'll be fine. I'm sure they're not as bad as the rumors. I can take care of myself."

"It's not the rumors I'm worried about . . ."

Kiyoko let out a sigh and leant forward, so that her forehead rested lightly on Tsubaki's upper chest. She felt suddenly very tired, and very scared. "Do you think they can do it?"

"Maybe they can, maybe they can't. It shouldn't matter . . ."

"Of course it matters!" Kiyoko sharply cut her, on the verge of tears. "If they succeed, you'll . . . you'll . . ." Her fingers tightened around Tsubaki's sleeve. Tsubaki sighed, and patted her head.

"I'm prepared for what will happen. We need them to work on this mission. As long as they don't complete it, the effort should bear fruit. All we have to do is stick to the plan, and everything should be fine."

"Alright . . . but be careful, will you?"

"I will. And you, will you be fine by yourself?"

"Of course. I have a barrier cast around the room." Kiyoko stepped away, tossed her hair and smiled slyly. "I _am_ a priestess."

"Is that so?" Tsubaki mumbled, wandering over to the corner of solid shadow. She crouched down and plunged her hand in it. "Good then. Good. Don't die until this is over."

"I won't. That's the point of all this, isn't it? I don't want to die." Kiyoko said bitterly.

"Us both, Kiyoko. Us both."

Tsubaki's hand closed in the darkness. Standing up, she swept her arm out, dragging the shadow after her. It coalesced into a jet black yukata, the collar in her clenched hand. She put it on and left it unfastened, like a loose cloak billowing around her. Out of a pocket in the sleeve of her white kimono, she took her comb and quickly put her hair up; her feet slid into the wooden geta. Drawing the sliding door to the garden aside, she looked back over her shoulder at the priestess who stood, steadily watching her.

"I'm off."

"Have a safe trip."

* * *

Tsubaki rushed out, leaving behind only a light air current to stir Kiyoko's hair. It was raining outside, and the priestess gazed at the wet leaves and rocks in the garden, before she felt a headache coming on. She knew she should retire for the day, but she was afraid of the dreams that would come. Finally, steeling herself, she went back to her room, a plain place with only a futon for bedding; she changed into a white yukata; and lay down to sleep. The dreams may be awful, but they were necessary. How else would Kiyoko have known of the forces at play, tying up Tsubaki, herself, the Akatsuki, and the entire world into a stream of misfortune that would cause them all to meet a horrible end?

For the end would be horrible, unless things worked out just as planned. So Kiyoko went to sleep, waiting for the terrible dreams, knowing that this was the only thing she could do. And as she fell asleep, she lightly sang under her breath, a lullaby she'd made up as a child, the first time she had dreamed the horror of her own death.

I took a walk after dinner. I didn't have any destination in mind. I just wanted to stretch my legs. I thought a bit about Shane, how he had seemed to be losing it, about Irene, happy as a butterfly, and about Kakashi for just a little bit. I thought about this situation, and how ridiculous it was starting to seem. Like this was a story, and we were the characters, dancing on strings for somebody's amusement. What would be the natural progression for this story? What could happen next?

Then, suddenly realizing something, I whispered to myself. "If you want to write a heart-wrenching story, shouldn't you kill the sweet, gentle heroine? Because when she dies, doesn't everybody cry?" I sighed. "I wonder if Doctor Blanche's story was a heart-wrenching one . . . Did anybody cry when she died?"

I knew that sometimes, dying was for the best. That's why soldiers fought in wars, why we had the death penalty, and why somebody took matters into their own hands and blew Angelique Blanche's brains out in a back alley. If she hadn't died, more people would have suffered. Knowing that, was there anyone who would have cried for her? Not even for her as a scientist and genius, but as a lone woman with a fervent, ungranted wish?

It was no secret, what she did. Her legacy was worshipped, praised, put on a pedestal; but the woman herself, her actions, no one spoke of. Why would anybody? War is an ugly thing. People did desperate things. Certainly Doctor Blanche's actions were borne of that feeling. Now we can look back and say, ah, she was a horrible, rotten human being, she got what was coming to her; but look at all she gave us, the technology, the knowledge! So let's act like fools and ignore it, because the truth is too inconvenient. I thought, weren't they the horrible ones? She wanted something so badly and sunk so low to achieve it, to in the end get nothing in return.

That kind of story was just pathetic. Not heart-wrenching at all. But then, Angelique Blanche was surely no kind and gentle heroine.

I looked up at the sky, were the clouds were clearing and being dyed red, violet and gold by the setting sun. Was this her wish? To come here? In that case, it sure was ironic, that I was here now, when I wished for nothing more than to go home. My story was turning out to also be a pathetic one, in a rather different way.

I retraced my steps to my apartment, passing through a busy street. People flowed all around, and I melded in, looking up at the sky. My story, huh? There was that feeling again, like I was forgetting something important. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something glow in a shop window and hurriedly whirled around.

For a moment, scarcely more than an instant, I had seen two things in the glass. My own figure, with glowing wings, and a pure white figure with long hair and a dress, walking behind me, hands held behind her back.

Only my own bewildered face stared back at me.

"Tch . . . pathetic." I said. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and hurried back home.

* * *

So, don't forget to review. Next chapter, we'll be seeing more of Tsubaki, as well as Deidara! Yeah, took me a while to get him in, didn't it? Ten chapters? Well, he is a rather important character. I also can't wait to write the first interactions between Alice and the Akatsuki. She isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and tends to miss rather obvious things. If anybody was paying attention, I would like to point out that Alice read a volume of the Naruto manga in the first chapter. She made no connection with her current predicament.

Review!

Peace out.


	10. Missing Piece

Moving right along, the next chapter. Deidara's in this one, as promised. You'll also get to see more of Tsubaki. I understand that she's a very mysterious figure at the moment, but that's to be expected. It wouldn't be any fun if everything was revealed right at the beginning.

Review!

* * *

Sasori met up with Tsubaki just outside the village gates. The rain fell like always, and everything was dyed gray, watery blue, and brown; down to the sky, earth, and the high walls of the city. He'd decided to go and get his partner, and Tsubaki had insisted on coming along; Pein had told her she could, so Sasori was made to wait while she dawdled. He felt his irritation mounting the longer he sat there, inside Hiruko, and the woman didn't show up. It was only after a full hour that she showed herself, wearing an unfastened black yukata over her clothes, with a dango stick in her mouth. She walked by him without saying anything, and he though her attire was inappropriate given the weather, but what really ticked him off was when she paused in the middle of the road, looked back at him, and said

"What are you waiting for?"

He had to resist the urge to tear her head off.

They traveled for several days without much rest. Sasori would have preferred to continue, but he knew from experience traveling with Deidara that human bodies needed rest. However, Tsubaki carried no supplies, no weapons, nothing. She asked to stop only once a day, and even then only to find a stream to bathe. She didn't seem to sleep or eat. Sasori thought that was rather strange, as she showed no signs of weakening by the fifth day.

'_If she can go on without rest, why does she insist on stopping?'_ he thought angrily as he waited, for the fifth time, as Tsubaki completed her daily ablutions. She didn't seem to care that the water was freezing cold. When she came back, her cheeks weren't red at all, and her hair was twisted into a wet rope trailing over her bare shoulder (she never pulled on the left sleeve of her kimono). She let it dry as they walked, carrying her black yukata over her shoulder, upon which she would pin it up with her comb. It was an antique, made of golden wood polished smooth, with a fading design of red and white camellias.

So they traveled. Neither of them was in that much of a hurry, so they kept a moderate pace. Once they got to a village around the area where Deidara was last seen, Sasori began to ask around. Tsubaki killed time in a restaurant, eating dango and drinking tea. If he happened to finish before she did, she'd force him to wait by refusing to move and refusing to hurry up. She drank her tea slowly, sparing not a glance at the puppet master getting more and more frustrated by the moment. Then, she would get up, put the stick in her mouth, and suddenly walk off, leaving him to scramble after her; if he wasn't fast enough, she would shoot some off-handed comment over her shoulder that would never fail to infuriate him.

More than once he felt he should just leave her. He didn't because he was somewhat curious, and needed more information about the client, Kiyoko, who Tsubaki was evidently very close to. He half-hoped some bandits would attack so she would show her abilities, but they had no such luck. So far, the only thing he'd managed to learn was that Tsubaki did things at her own pace and was very, very difficult to travel with.

Eventually, they started talking while Sasori was waiting for her to finish her snack at the roadside shop he knew was a favorite of Deidara's, and where he'd asked for information. The visit had proven fruitful, but Tsubaki dawdled, ordering a second plate of dango.

"So, master Sasori, I hear you're a puppet?" she said casually.

He would have jumped in surprise if he'd still had nerves. "How did you know?"

"I did my research before we came."

"I would like to know who told you." he growled sullenly.

"Don't worry, it wasn't easy to find out. I paid quite a lot for the information." She took a sip of tea, cradling the cup.

"You and Lady Kiyoko come from the mountain country, is that correct?"

"Yes. Oh, you're wondering how we got enough money for all this."

"I suppose." She'd practically read his mind.

"I came here and collected money by hunting bounties, which was quite hard work and took me a long time. I only recently had gained enough to hire you all, and pay for the various expenses associated with our travel. I then went to fetch Kiyoko, and here we are now. Although, back then when I was working," she chuckled. "I almost ran into one of you. What was his name, the treasurer?"

"Kakuzu?" Sasori answered.

"Yes. I was able to avoid meeting him, since I doubted he would take kindly to seeing me; I stole several of his bounties, and made him quite furious. Well, it was so long ago I doubt he remembers. He had a different partner, back then. I'd still appreciate it if you could keep this a secret." She smiled at him and sipped her tea.

"It doesn't concern me." Sasori replied sullenly, wondering what the point of this story was.

"Oh, but that is how I found out about the Akatsuki. I must say, those cloaks you wear are quite distinctive. Anyone informed could tell who you are. Isn't that strange considering you claim to be a 'secret' organization?"

"Is that what you think?" He was losing interest in this, fast. "You're one to talk."

"What do you mean?"

"Your hair and eyes. Anyone would know you by sight. And if we're talking about odd clothing, I don't want to hear our cloaks commented on by someone wearing her kimono like a dead person."

She looked down at her clothes.

"The proper way to wear a kimono is the left side over the right. The opposite is for dressing the dead. Take a good look at yourself before criticizing others." Sasori grumbled.

She fell silent, and Sasori thought he might have offended her, because when he asked a question, her reply was short.

"How did you meet this girl in the first place?"

"At this point, I need to keep that a secret." She kept her eyes on her tea, sitting rigidly straight.

"Will you say _nothing_ useful?" Sasori growled, his frustration growing.

"That's rude. I've been very helpful already."

"You said all of us had met her. What did you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said. You've met her."

"I as well?"

"Of course. In fact, you . . ." Her eyes wandered off. "Most likely know her better than anyone. Except for Deidara, of course." She nodded to herself. What she was saying didn't make any sense; Sasori was getting more and more irritated.

"Is that why you insisted on coming?"

"Perhaps. Maybe I just wanted to meet the last member. It was promised that all of you would work, and I want to make sure he doesn't slack off."

"He might decide not to come. I can't force him."

"He does seem like a sullen person, doesn't he?"

"He's not usually like this. There were some circumstances."

"Is that so? That makes no difference to me. If he doesn't come back, that will be my loss. And maybe his as well, but who can tell?" She shrugged.

"Will you stop beating around the bush and tell us what you know?" Sasori growled in a burst of irritation. Hiruko's tail sprang up, the tip menacingly hovering over Tsubaki. "This farce is getting tiresome!"

Tsubaki stared at the scorpion tail pointed at her throat. A bead of purple poison dripped down. It landed on her chest, slid over her collarbone and stained her white kimono. Before Sasori knew it, her gaze was back on him, seeming to stare him straight in the eye despite the carapace around him, and it was sharp. The mismatched eyes burned, narrowing, shedding the look of amiability they bore before; a strange black aura, just like the first time he had seen her, emanated from the black yukata folded at her side. It twitched, and seemed to melt into a solid shadow without ever losing its shape. Her hands tightened around her tea cup, fingernails creaking.

And all of a sudden, so fast it was nothing more than a moment, it all faded. Tsubaki sipped her tea, unconcerned once again. Her hostility had vanished, and Sasori had a feeling she was only hiding it; he kept Hiruko's tail poised above her, waiting to see if she would suddenly spring to her feet and attack, like she seemed to want to do. But she never did. Her movements slow and controlled, as if not to antagonize him, she set her tea down and took a bite of dango. Tsubaki looked down at the sweet in her hand.

"This is quite good. I can see why Deidara likes this place."

She finished her tea in one gulp, bit down in the empty stick, got up, pulled on her yukata, and started down the road.

"This isn't over!" Sasori growled after her.

"Sure it is." she shrugged, still walking, and spread her arms out. "I'm not fighting you, master Sasori. I hate fighting when I don't have to, and I get irritated when people try to make me. So if you go pointing that thing at me again . . ."

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, grinning with the dango stick in her mouth, red eye seeming to glow in the half-twilight. A sudden gust of wind blew her yukata back.

" . . . I'll kill you."

* * *

The bar was medium sized, with low lighting, a handful of scattered tables and chairs, white-washed walls, and was practically empty save for a lone person sitting at the counter. A piece of his long blonde hair was gathered up into a ponytail, another falling over his left eye; he wore a black cloak with a pattern of red clouds. At the moment, it was fairly late, so that nearly all the customers had gone home, and the bar was thinking of closing.

Deidara crossed his arms over the counter. His head was starting to buzz, and his hands tingled at bit. He was getting drunk again, and didn't give a damn. The bartended put another bottle of sake in front of him. He poured some, and took a sip. It burned down his throat and sent a warm feeling spreading through him. He poured another.

It had been some time since they'd come back. Deidara wasn't sure how long, but it must have been several months already; he'd lost track of time. He was trying not to think too hard. Actually, he hadn't been doing much at all; he hadn't done any missions, or created new art. His inspiration was gone.

Inside his head, he couldn't help going over the time they had spent in that other world, and everything that had happened. He remembered seeing Tenshi for the first time, those sardonic eyes staring down into the cardboard box; his first impression of her, while she and Akuma named them, was that she was an unpleasant girl, a real devil; she'd wanted to castrate the lot of them, he recalled with a slight chuckle. It was funny now, but at the time, they knew she was actually going to do it, and it wasn't nearly as funny.

It was later that he'd tried to get closer to her; the reason being, he was bored, and she was interesting to tease. He remembered when he'd cornered her for the first time, and how scared she had been, how her hands had trembled, how she'd bit down on her lip . . . sure she'd freaked out, but it had been fun up till then. It was the first time he had been close to her, to that girl who hated being touched, and he had loved every second of it. As time passed, he's started to want to get closer to her again. Closer to that warmth, that pretty face, that intoxicating scent . . .

And before he knew it, he'd fallen for her. Hard.

Deidara didn't fool himself into thinking she loved him back. After seeing her past, his feelings for her had deepened, even while he understood that her loving him was something that was likely never to happen. He didn't care. He wanted her next to him. He wanted to be the only person who could touch her, who could kiss her, who could stroke his hands through her hair. He wanted to see her get angry and yell, fight, amuse herself, laugh wickedly, grin like a demon and stomp on anything that got in her way. That would have been enough. Even if she didn't love him back, well, that couldn't be helped. But as long as she was his . . . as long as she looked only at him . . .

Deidara banged his head on the table.

'_What am I doing, thinking about that, hm?'_ he thought. _'I need another drink.'_

One thing he couldn't get over was the guilt. She had saved him, and in the process lost the ability to walk. If he'd noticed what she was doing faster, if he had noticed the piece of concrete falling, he could have saved her and taken her back to this world . . . if he had told her earlier and stopped her from going with her brother . . . if he had told her anything at all about how he felt, then maybe things would have turned out differently.

But he didn't. He'd lost his chance. He couldn't be with the one he loved.

"But still . . ." he mumbled to himself, swirling the sake in the cup. "I want to see her . . ."

And so, for the rest of the night, Deidara drank. He had a room upstairs, so he didn't need to worry about that. There had been summons from Pein about a new mission, but he'd ignored them. After a while, he was drunkenly nodding, his face flushed and his gaze unsteady. Soon, he knew he would be so drunk he'd forget everything, pass out, and wake up with a splitting headache. He knew, and that was the point. When he got so drunk he passed out, he was guaranteed at least a few hours of peace.

'_Ah, this is pathetic, isn't it, hm . . . if Tenshi saw me now, she'd smack me with a frying pan.'_ he chuckled, then sighed. He was starting to feel hot. _'Maybe I'll see her in the next life . . . yeah right.'_

The bell at the door tinkled as it opened. He sat up and looked over his shoulder. New customers at this hour? With a start he recognized was Sasori, and a woman. What he saw, coming towards him, took his breath away and made his eyes go wide. Everything was blurry, but . . . everything was spinning, but . . . he was surely hallucinating, but . . . That sight sent such a pang through him, that he stumbled to his feet, drunkenly stumbling. He reached out to the figure.

"Deidara?" The voice was distorted.

'_Tenshi . . .'_

With a ninja's speed, he embraced her, knocking her to the floor, his lips crushed to hers. His arms tightened, his hands threading through her hair, and forced her mouth open, his tongue sliding in. He felt so happy he thought he could die.

Then something sharp pierced his neck, and his grip loosened. The girl slipped out of his grasp, stumbling back a couple of steps. As everything blurred and spun even more, he realized he was mistaken. It wasn't logic that made him realize, but his sense that told him something was off. She had no scent. And above all, the feeling of her body in his arms was different.

Tenshi had been warm, even hot. This person was cool.

* * *

Tsubaki backed up as Sasori injected a sleeping agent into Deidara. He looked up at her, faintly amused.

"Are you all right?"

She wiped her mouth, making a face. "Well _that_ was disgusting."

"He's drunk."

"Obviously." Her nose crinkled. She continued in a disbelieving voice. "He stuck his tongue in my mouth."

"I'll deal with him when he wakes up. You can head back."

"No, I'll give you a hand. I still want to talk with him when he wakes up . . . I just hope he'll have sobered up by then." She went to the counter and put down some coins magically conjured out of her kimono sleeve. She glanced at Deidara, and wiped her mouth again, throwing him a disgusted look.

They hauled him up, each taking one arm, and proceeded out the door. They had a room at an inn not too far, so before long they had him in bed, sleeping off the alcohol.

Deidara woke up with a splitting headache. It was made worse by the light streaming in from the window, where the curtains weren't closed. He groaned, opening his eyes, and seeing that he wasn't in his room, and he didn't have a shirt on.

'_Did I pick a woman up again, hm?'_ He saw a figure at the edge of his vision. _'Oh god, no . . .'_

It was a woman. The first thing he noticed was that her hair was white, long, twisted in a rope over her bare shoulder; she only had one sleeve of her short kimono on, exposing a decent chest wrapped in bandages. She had her legs crossed, and his gaze wandered from her shoulder down to her legs, which were also wrapped down to mid-thigh. Finally, he looked at her face. She stared at him, an eyebrow raised, having noticed where he was looking.

'_Okay, so I didn't sleep with her . . . that's a relief.'_ A woman he'd just picked up wouldn't be glaring at him like that over a little wandering gaze.

"Huh . . ." she huffed out a sigh. "You're awake. I thought you were going to sleep all day. It's past noon, you know."

"Wait . . ." Deidara sat up, rubbing his head. God, did this hurt . . . he needed water. "Who the heck are you?"

"Oh? You don't remember? I came to see you last night with master Sasori. Unfortunately, you'd drunk yourself stupid already." She shrugged.

He didn't answer, only wondered, still rubbing his head, his hair a complete mess, who the heck was this weird woman. He vaguely remembered seeing someone like her last night, before he'd passed out; master Sasori had been there too, hadn't he? When he looked up, he saw her face right next to his, one knee on the bed, their noses nearly touching. She blinked, staring straight at him. He scampered back as far as he could. His back hit the wall.

'_What the heck? What's up with her eyes?'_

She kept staring, and Deidara thought she was going to crawl up on the bed. Eventually, she sighed and stood straight, crossing her arms with lips drawn tight and tugging upwards at the edges.

"Are you really awake? I've gotten tired of waiting, you know."

"Then you should have slept too, idiot, hm."

She shrugged and looked away. "Tch . . . Anyway, my name's Tsubaki. I'm one of the clients for the mission."

"What mission?"

"The one you were summoned for. Do you remember, or did your head turn to jelly from all that drinking?"

He recalled something about being summoned, and nodded.

"All of you are supposed to be working for us, so having you waste time here is very inconvenient. Please return at once and do your job."

"Hey, I can do what I want." He was starting to get seriously irritated. What was this woman saying, this early in the morning? He had a headache, still wasn't completely sure who the heck she was, and really wasn't interesting in listening to her. "Listen, Tsu . . . Tsubasa, or whatever, I'm not interested, hm. Whatever the job, I don't give a damn."

"It's Tsubaki. And you _need_ to come back with us." she insisted.

"I'm not gonna do it, hm."

"Can you at least hear me out?"

"No. Go away." He lay back down on the bed and pulled the cover over his head.

He was not prepared for her to yank the blanket right off, leaving him half-naked and cold. "Hey! What do you think . . ." he stopped when he saw her eyes. They were serious, and deadly cold. All congeniality had drained from her like water off a sheet of glass.

"This has gotten boring. I don't have time to deal with you, so listen up. This mission concerns you in a very particular way, and it won't do to have you keep out. I don't care what issues you have, I need you to listen to me."

After a moment, Deidara decided that it wouldn't hurt to hear this woman out. He sat up on the edge of the bed. Tsubaki nodded, threw the blanked back to him, got him a glass of water from the table in the middle of the room, and took her seat in the chair, arms and legs crossed again. As he gulped down the cold liquid, Deidara's eyes couldn't help but wander over her figure. She was definitely easy to look at . . . if it wasn't for the strange eyes and hair color. This time she didn't seem to notice him looking, instead directing her gaze to some random spot in the air. She started to talk.

"To put it simply, my master and I have come from a village in the mountains east of the desert. We have hired the Akatsuki to find a girl with crimson wings." she repeated the description given by Kiyoko on the day of their arrival. Deidara listened, a little blankly.

"And?" he said.

"All of you have had some kind of contact with her-all of you, without exceptions, have met her. Try and remember." Her gaze turned to him, intent. "You should have some memory of her, no matter how distant."

Deidara tried. He tried to recall if he had ever seen anyone matching that description, but his head hurt so much he couldn't think too hard. Tsubaki's intense eyes didn't help much.

"Think," she said in a low voice. "What do you remember?"

"Even if you say I've met her, I can't think of anything." _'My head hurts too much. How much did I drink last night?'_ He covered his face with his hand, rubbing his temples. "Can't you give me another clue? Like a name?"

"This person . . . might be somebody precious to you." she murmured hesitantly. Deidara's head shot up, and he glared at her with sudden anger through clenched fingers.

"Don't mock me. I don't have anybody precious, hm."

"Liar." He raised his head to meet her gaze. "You've been drinking yourself stupid for the past several months, and it isn't because you've developed a sudden fondness for sake. You're trying to forget something. You and Sasori both."

"That is none of your business." Deidara growled.

Tsubaki shrugged, and averted her eyes. "Just because the one precious to you is dead, does not necessarily mean she is gone forever. The laws of reality beyond human comprehension would allow for the return of the dead . . . under certain circumstances."

She was mocking him. There could be no other reason behind her words. Yet, the strange, far off look in her eyes, a mix of regret, sadness, and a touch of desperation made her seem genuine.

"How would you know that? What the hell would you know, hm?"

Her eyes snapped back to him. "The Girl is an existence defying common sense and the laws of the physical world. She is not dead, but neither is she alive; she knows everything that will happen in this world. Her existence could be compared to that of an angel, or a demon, a being that transcends humanity."

"If she's so powerful and all knowing, what could she possibly be doing here?"

"Who knows? I would say she wants to change her fate . . . but that would only be idle speculation."

Silence fell for a moment while Deidara tried to understand what Tsubaki was saying, speaking with such sad eyes. Finally, she got up and stretched.

"If you're curious, you should just find her and ask about it yourself. You can't remember it now, but you've definitely met her before. You should try again when your mind is clearer."

She grabbed a black yukata that had been folded over her chair and slung it over her shoulder. She went to the door, hesitated, and looked back over her shoulder.

"It's up to you, of course, but working on this mission might be a better use of your time than drinking yourself silly. Master Sasori is waiting downstairs. If you want to accompany us, we will be leaving in an hour. Think it over."

"Wait . . ." Before he could finish, she'd swept out of the room, her black yukata trailing after her. He sat back, and rubbed his head. _'This is going to be annoying . . .'_

* * *

Next chapter will be back to Alice once again. Hope you look forward to it. Review!

Peace out.


	11. Picture From a Long Gone Past

I'm back! Happy Halloween to everyone!

Just a note: for those of you reading with no idea what's going on, I repeat, this is a sequel. While it can, to some extent, be read with no prior knowledge, I wouldn't recommend it.

Review! I feed on them. Like a vampire on blood, or a zombie on flesh. Fear the review-vampire!

Yeah, that was bad. I'm sorry.

* * *

The next day, I went back to see the Machine. This time, classes were taking place, so I had to be careful. I snuck around back, crept through bushes, ran through the training ground, and made it to the building. As I went inside, I remembered Kakashi's warning; _"If it had been anyone other than me, you wouldn't be getting out of this so easily," _so he said. Well, this was better than sitting around my apartment and going to work like a good little prisoner. As delightful as this world was, I didn't intend to stay here for the rest of my life. I had to get back home.

"If I stick around any longer, I'll get Stockholm Syndrome . . ." I muttered to myself. "Yeah right . . ."

I stood in front of the Machine, hands on my hips. There had to be some clue on this damn thing! I started by examining the base. The big cables that had led underground were gone, leaving empty sockets behind; I deduced that they connected the core of the Machine (the thing in front of me) to the rest of it. Let's see, Tsunade had said _"Our science division says it's harmless, that it needs some kind of power mechanism to work. Without it, it's just a hunk of metal."_ That must mean that the dome and the mechanism inside served as power. Without them, there was no way this thing would work. My shoulders slumped.

"There's no way I can rebuild that whole thing . . ." I whined. "Okay, next!"

I examined one of the three branched that curved up from the base; the needles that covered the inside were of all different sizes, and really sharp. I cut my finger when I poked one. I sucked on it while trying to see if there was anything else that stood out. If I looked very closely, I could see that the needles were hollow; only that didn't help very much. I realized that I hadn't the faintest clue how this thing worked. Back in the dome, there had been such a complicated setup, and all of it must be vital; the sheets of metal protruding from the ceiling, the odd diagram on the floor, the tubes and cables twisting all around . . . someone like me, who hadn't even finished school yet, couldn't possibly hope to figure it out.

I sat against the Machine, sighing. This was kinda sorta . . . depressing. If I couldn't figure it out, would I really be stuck here for the rest of my life? I shook my head and pinched my cheeks.

"Stop it! There's got to be some way . . . think, damn it, you're smarter than this . . ." I mumbled. I mentally collected all the information I had so far. The phenomenon had happened before; people from this world had gone to mine, proving their existence to Doctor Blanche, who then made the Machine. But for that, they would already have to have another method; which meant there was another way to travel between worlds, that didn't require the Machine; maybe something having to do with Chakra . . .

I remembered . . . _"Do you know of an organization called 'Akatsuki'?"_

Kakashi had asked me that . . . so that organization had something to do with all this? He suspected them, right? I rubbed my chin, looking up in the air. _'So . . . I have to find them . . . hum . . . well, in any case, this is good. When there's a will, there's a way . . . Or something.' _I had a feeling I had best be careful while investigating the Akatsuki; Kakashi's reaction had been odd, when I mentioned the trivial story of the Red Moon's naming. I nodded, satisfied. This had been a fruitful excursion.

Suddenly I heard voices coming from outside and scrambled to my feet. I looked around, panicked, but there was no place to hide. The voices came closer, and the door opened. I was about to make a run for it in some random direction when I recognized Lee, the overly active frog-suit wearing bowl-cut having giant eyebrows youth guy. With him were two people: a girl with her hair in buns wearing Chinese clothing, and a familiar guy with way too long hair and eyes like Hinata's.

"Ah! Miss Alice!" Lee pointed at me.

"Pardon me?" I squeaked. I lost my balance from stopping with only a foot off the ground, and hopped a little to regain it.

"What do you think you are doing here?" the bug-eyed guy said. Christ, he was scary. The girl stepped forward and gave a friendly smile.

"Hi, you're Alice, right? Lee told me about you. I'm Tenten." She went right up to me while she talked, and extended her hand, smiling. I looked at it for a moment, not really understanding, then shook it.

"Nice to meet you . . ." I mumbled. Wait, could it be . . . that this person was, gasp, _normal_?

"You too. You really aren't supposed to be here, so we were a bit surprised to see you. Ah, it shouldn't matter. Nobody comes here."

"Tenten, how can you say that?" Bug-eyes snapped his glare to me, arms crossed. I shrank back a bit. "We should turn her over to the supervisor. Nobody is supposed to come into contact with that thing."

I summoned all my courage. "I don't think that really applies to me . . . the worst it can do is send me back where I came from . . ."

He glared at me. I slid behind Tenten. She puffed her cheeks and glared right back at her. "Neji, don't bully the new girl."

"I'm not . . ." he protested. "Tch. What are you even doing here?" he snapped at me.

"I was trying to see if I could get some kind of clue as to how this thing works . . ."

"Did you?"

"No . . ."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I'm still looking . . ."

"Hah?" He raised his eyebrow at me. Okay, here's another jerk . . .

"Oh, that reminds me!" Lee said. "You don't have chakra, do you Miss Alice?"

"That's right." I said. _'Isn't it obvious?'_ I thought.

"Would you like to become a ninja?" He gave me a thumbs up and his teeth glittered. "I'm going to be teaching Miss Irene some basic self-defense. I would be honored for you to join us!"

'_Are you stupid?'_ "I don't have chakra, so that would be a little . . ."

"Do not worry! I cannot use chakra either! My dream is to become a splendid ninja like Guy-sensei, using only taijutsu!"

"I'm not really interested . . ." _'Buddy, you're going to have to explain that last one.'_

"It wouldn't hurt to know a little bit." Tenten pitched in. Neji only sulked in the background.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to take a pass on it. You could say . . . my dream is something else."

The two leaned in closer. "What dream is it, Miss Alice?"

I bit my lip and looked back over my shoulder at the Machine. I tapped it. "I want to become a great scientist. Like Doctor Blanche, the one who built this thing. She was a true genius."

"That is a splendid dream! To have someone you look up to and admire, that is truly the essence of youth!"

"It's not really that I look up to her . . . she was my grandmother's friend, she died way before I was born. I don't know, I guess I've always been interested in her. I'm not sure why."

"In any case, you should do all you can to achieve your dream! With hard work, anything is possible!"

"What kind of idiot are you?" I snapped. This wasn't good. My thoughts were spilling out again.

"Alice?" said Tenten. Neji looked up, intrigued.

"Some things just aren't possible, even with hard work." I wrapped my arm around myself, drawing in, eyes cast down. "I can't even hope to compare to her. She was a true genius. In things like this, you can't compensate for natural ability with plain _hard work_. The world doesn't work that way. If it did, wouldn't everybody reach their goal? It's naïve to think that with just work anything can be done."

"But, Miss Alice . . ."

"Of course," I cut him off. "Hard work is essential. There's a saying in my world, that success is 98% hard work and 2% talent. That sounds great and all, but the flip side says that you can't make it without that 2% talent. Doctor Blanche _had_ talent, she had it in spades . . . she had motivation, hard work, the resources to make it all come together, and even so . . . even she didn't reach her goal in the end. She just died, because the world isn't fair, and doesn't give a damn how desperate you are, or how much work you put in. In the end, it comes down to luck, fate, god's will, or some shit like that."

They left, after that. Tenten looked worried, and Lee seemed dejected. Neji, as he passed through the door, glanced over his shoulder at me with a look of such pity I wanted to punch him. So what if what I said was uncomfortable to hear? So what if it shattered people's pathetic misconceptions about what the world had in store for them?

I was a complete fool, and fully aware of it. My story was a pathetic one. Harboring an unattainable dream, constantly aspiring to it while under the full realization that it was all in vain, yet continuing . . . like a fool, a pathetic fool.

* * *

Before going home, I decided to do one last check of the Machine, just in case there was anything I missed. I ran my hands around the base, trying to lift it; it wasn't that heavy, so I had to scramble to keep it from falling over. That's when I noticed something on the base.

"A picture?" I reached down and plucked the paper rectangle off the metal surface. It was so old that the tape holding in in place gave easily. I was left holding an old-fashioned paper photograph, yellow with age and almost crumbling. I held it delicately, sat with my legs crossed, back against the Machine, and held it up so I could see it better.

It was a picture taken in a living room. One couch, a coffee table, and a large chair to the right, all pushed back to clear a space; I could see french windows open off to the side, curtains waving lazily in the breeze. The first person I recognized, standing in the middle with a happy grin on her face, making a peace sign and winking at the camera, was my grandmother. A young Dawn Sanders, her brown hair in a ponytail, green eyes sparkling. I'd seen pictures of her before, but she looked so different here, so happy, so carefree, like a tiny ball of cheery energy.

The people around her were even stranger. To her left, there was a boy her age with sardonic brown eyes and tousled red hair, standing stiffly, his gaze wandering to his right as if bored with the whole procedure. A huge man that looked like a fish, blue skin, hair, shark teeth, gills and all, grinned somewhat nastily, wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Another was half turned away from the camera, his arms crossed in a serious way, with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, deep creases under his eyes and a rather intimidating air about him; yet there was a ghost of a smile on his face. Behind Dawn, a scary man with spiky orange hair, a _lot_ of piercing, and glaring violet ringed eyes stood next to a pretty woman with blue hair ornamented with a rose, golden eyes, a labret piercing, and a mysterious smile; she wore a white summer dress, contrasting with his black rock t-shirt and jeans. He did not look very happy to be there.

To Dawn's far right was another huge man with dark skin, long brown hair, and I swear to god, stitches around his mouth and arms. He was yelling something at another man, a bit younger, who didn't wear a shirt and had slicked back silver hair and purple eyes; this guy was dragging another girl into frame, so that she looked stunned as she stumbled in. Her hair was carmine red, in a side ponytail; she was about to fall over when the picture was snapped. She stared, completely bewildered, like a deer caught in headlights.

The last boy was a youth with long blond hair in a half ponytail, a large chunk of it falling over the left side of his face, standing with his hands on his hips to Dawn's right. His eyes were blue, slanted, and though a wry smile spread his lips, he looked down with a very gentle expression to the final character my eyes turned to. Dawn's right arm was hooked with a girl's, whose appearance took my breath away.

She was noticeably taller than Dawn, with an elegantly curved build. She wore all black, from her t-shirt to her jeans. Her ash-blond hair, streaked with red, fell to her shoulders, a little unruly and tousled. She had a beautiful face, her eyes blue-gray slightly slanted, her mouth stretched in a sideway smile, a little reluctant, but genuine. She was looking to the side at her friend, as if humoring her, and content with doing so. It was _her_ the red haired boy and the blond-haired boy were looking at; she was at the center, an angel in black, surrounded by all these people, and there was a real air of friendship around them all. I had a strange feeling that they were all connected by something I couldn't see, some confined dynamic that I had no part of.

It was late. I stared at the picture for a long time, trying to think of what it could mean. These must have been friends of my grandmother, all the way back when she was in school. Some of the men looked vaguely familiar; the blond, the red-head, and the one with long black hair; I felt that I might have seen them somewhere before. And who could that girl be? What was her connection with my grandmother, with Doctor Blanche, and why would this picture be taped under the Machine? And what the hell was up with these people? They were weirdoes, even worse than the people in this world. Seriously, blue skin? Stitches? Orange hair and more piercings than an emo teen? Sure, some of them looked half-way normal, but what kind of hippie has hair that long? The only normal ones were the red-haired chick, the beautiful blonde girl, and the boy . . . but even he had something off about him-a stiff, wooden look. I had to wonder where the hell she could have met all of them. Yet, she smiled, brighter than the sun.

"What the heck do you look so happy about . . ." I whispered, as if my grandmother could hear me through the picture. "It's all about to be broken to bits, isn't it?"

I decided to return home. This was about all I could accomplish for today, and I was getting hungry. I would get something to eat along the way, and maybe go see Irene at her job. I wanted to check up on Shane, too. I strolled out the training hall, passing through the yard, and was in front of the building in no time. The bell tolled and students were running out, laughing and chatting, eager to go play before having to go home. I stayed for a bit, standing next to the gate, looking over the courtyard and main school building. I watched, reminded of my own childhood. Kids burst out, carrying their bags, racing past me to the gate, or waiting for their parents to come pick them up; I saw teachers talking in front of the building.

A young girl came up to me. She stared up with wide eyes, while her friends egged her on from afar. She was tiny, maybe six of seven years old, with black hair in pigtails and wearing a pink yukata with white leggings.

"Hum . . . is it true that you're an alien?" she burst out. She blushed. "My friends wanted me to ask."

"Eh?" I scratched my head.

"You came from that light, right?"

I smiled, and kneeled down so that I was face to face with her. "Don't worry. I'm not a bad alien." I patted her head. "I came here by accident. But it's a secret, 'kay?" I put one finger on my lips and winked. Her face lit up.

"Okay! I won't tell anyone. What's your name, miss alien? I'm Shizuka."

"I'm Alice. Nice to meet you, Shizuka."

She went back to her friends, and I saw them pressing her for details. She laughed and put her finger to her lips. I really liked kids. Sure, there were brats around, but the sweet ones were too adorable not to love. I'd always had a knack for dealing with them, too. I made a lot of pocket money by babysitting, back home.

"Hey, Alice." I turned and saw a boy. He was from my class, a tall dark-haired youth with a pretty face and blue eyes. I usually didn't remember people's names this easily, but Irene had had a crush on him last year, so I'd had to listen to her talk about him for six months. She never confessed, so it went nowhere.

"Oh, hey Sam. What'cha doing here?" I gave a slight wave.

"Not much. What about you?" He seemed surprised to see me here.

"Not much either. How've you been doing?"

"Not too bad. This is all kind of a shock, see . . . it's like a dream you can't wake up from. Did you hear about Sarah?"

"Yeah. She really believed it was a dream." I sighed, and rubbed the back of my head. "I don't think it is."

"Neither do I. Have you talked with anybody else lately?"

"Come to think of it, no. I see Irene every once in a while, and I talked to Shane the other day. He's having some trouble."

"I see."

The conversation died. We didn't have much to talk about; not much information to exchange. At least he seemed to be doing fine. That was a relief. I was afraid the others would lose it like Sarah did. We had to stick together, and find a way to go home, but I was at loss to figure out how we could do that, separated as we were. All I could do was continue my investigation, and hope the others were strong enough not to do anything stupid.

"I'm glad I got to talk to you, Alice." Sam smiled at me. My heart skipped a beat, and I blushed. He had a really nice smile. He walked away, towards the students, while I stayed rooted in place, flustered.

His pace was uneven as he walked through the courtyard. He reached inside the pocket of his jacket, and withdrew something that glittered in the sun. Everything happened so fast, I could only watch.

Shizuka was walking with her friends towards the exit. They passed Sam. He reached back, grabbed her by the back of her clothes, jerked her around and put a knife to her throat. Her friend screamed. Panic broke out. The teachers came running.

"Nobody move!" he yelled.

I was rooted in place. Sam's pretty face was distorted by hate and sweat trickled down his brow. His eyes looked feverish. The knife, gripped tightly by trembling hands, pressed against the girl's throat.

'_Not again . . .'_ I thought as I ran to him. "SAM!"

"Don't!" A teacher caught my arm and pulled me back. He had a scar cutting through his face. "Stay back!"

"Take me back . . ." Sam growled. "You people brought us here, didn't you? Send us back, or I'll kill the kid!"

This wasn't right. What was he thinking? Why was he doing this? Why the heck was this happening?

"SAM!" I yelled. "What the hell are you doing? Cut it out! Just stop it already!" Tears sprang in my eyes. This wasn't right!

"Iruka-sensei!" Shizuka cried.

"Shizuka, stay still, alright? We're going to save you, just stay calm." The teacher who had dragged me back said.

"I'm scared!"

Sam tightened his grip. Shizuka went silent, all blood drained from her face, hiccupping, tears staining her cheeks.

"SAM!" I yelled.

"Alice . . ." Our eyes met. "Look around you. Look at what these people can do! They're monsters! Open your eyes, they brought us here and they're going to kill us!"

"That's not true!" I screamed. "It isn't! You're wrong! You're wrong! Stop it already! Just stop! You're the one who needs to open your eyes! Why would you think such an awful thing?"

"You're too naïve, Alice! How else could we have been taken here? It's obviously the work of these freaks! Have you seen what they can do?"

"Of course! The Machine . . ."

"Do you really believe this kind of thing is possible with the technology in our world? It's impossible! It can't happen!"

"YES IT CAN! STOP IT!" I jerked my hand out of the teacher's grasp and ran forward.

"Stop! Idiot!" he yelled after me.

I stretched out my hand. A glimmer of light flashed, I squeezed my eyes shut and when I opened them, Sam was staring at me with eyes so wide, I couldn't believe it. His hand slackened. Shizuka ran away, and was hurriedly swooped up by the teacher. I stared at Sam. He crumpled to the ground, knives in his throat, back, arm, and leg. I heard Shizuka crying and being comforted behind me, but I couldn't stop staring. He gurgled something, his white eyes boring into mine. His hand twitched in the dirt.

I kneeled down to hear him. His hand shot out, grabbed my collar, and pulled me close to that distorted face, stained by blood, and those inhuman, feverish eyes.

" . . . told you so . . ."

His eyes grew blank; his hand slackened and fell.

Blood spread in a pool around him. I saw my reflection in it, stunned, bewildered, horrified. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't right. I couldn't understand. I stumbled to my feet, my knees wet, and heard a whisper. In the red pool, my reflection wavered and changed; a girl with long hair.

'_I'm sorry.' _

* * *

Next chapter will feature Alice and the Akatsuki. Not together, not quite yet.

Review! Or I will send my review-bats to suck your blood and turn you into my minions!

Peace out.


	12. What Lies Hidden

Alice sat demurely on the chair in the dark interrogation room. On the wooden desk in front of her, a light shone in her eyes, making them oddly bright; she couldn't see anything, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. Her gaze was blank, empty, the bags under her eyes so dark they looked like bruises. Her glasses were neatly folded on the table in front of her. Her hands were tight around the fabric of her shirt, and she had no handcuffs on. She answered the questions as they came, in a half-whispered mumble. Her interrogator was a huge man wearing a bandana, with scars all over his face. Ibiki Morino sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, asking questions in a dead monotone, without relying on threats. His specialty was psychologically breaking down his victims in order to extract information from them. But when he'd walked in and taken one look at the child in front of him, he knew that wouldn't be necessary. She was at the end of her rope.

As he continued with the questions, he quickly realized that she didn't know anything useful. She didn't know why he had done it. She gave them the boy's name, and that was about all that she knew. She didn't know if the others might be planning something. She didn't know what his plan had been. Her being there had been a coincidence; she had been taking a walk around the village, and had stopped to speak with the children; she had been planning on going to work after that, at the library.

Ibiki doubted she was lying, because she would have very little reason to. It might have been dumb coincidence, but Alice had witnessed the deaths of two of her classmates in the past several weeks. He wished they could examine her mind, at least to see if there was any damage, but Lady Tsunade had expressly forbidden it. Not that they could do it in this case.

Ibiki leaned back with his arms crossed, surveying the girl in front of him. She was a wreck. Witnessing death was not something a civilian like her was used to; this interrogation was pointless effort, insisted on by the council members, and a waste of his time. He sighed, and wondered if this was going to happen again. There was a knock on the door, and Ibiki got up to unlock it. It was Kakashi.

"What have you learned?" he asked. His tone was dark, his eye serious.

"Nothing useful. The girl doesn't know anything."

"Can I take her home then?"

Ibiki hesitated, then sharply nodded. Kakashi strode past him, quickly going to Alice's side. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Alice?" He gave her a little shake. She didn't respond. Kakashi looked back at Ibiki with a slightly accusing glare.

"She was like this when I came in. She was answering questions properly, so she isn't catatonic."

This was worrying. Kakashi shook her again, harder. "Alice? Can you hear me? I'm taking you home."

Alice abruptly stood up. Kakashi took a step back. He felt that there was something wrong, when Alice suddenly clutched her head.

"My head hurts." she mumbled. She staggered past Kakashi, towards the open door. "Damn, it hurts . . ."

"Hey!" Ibiki grabbed her arm by reflex. "Don't move!"

"It hurts . . ." Her breath hissed through her teeth, her hand threading into her disheveled hair, over her face. Her eye glinted through her fingers, glaring at Ibiki. Kakashi saw a light quickly flashing from her left eye, and hurried to grab her as she slid to the floor. Ibiki's hand smoked slightly.

"Easy now. Alice, what's wrong?" He didn't touch her. She was on her knees, both hands clutching her temples, teeth grinding together.

"It hurts . . ."

"What does? Alice, talk to me."

"From my eye . . ."

"Let me see." He gently pried her stiff hands away from her face, and looked into her eyes. Startled, he nearly let go of her. Her left eye was completely blank, the pupil and iris white. A faint light was beginning to stream out.

"What's wrong with her?" Ibiki asked.

"I have no idea." Kakashi answered, letting Alice go; her hands immediately went back to clutching her head, as her body trembled, and she gave a muffled scream. "You'd better call Lady Tsunade."

* * *

I wasn't sure where I was, when I woke up. I recognized the white walls of the hospital, and the smell of antiseptic pervading the air stung at my nose. All I was sure of at that moment, was that I was in a hospital, and my head hurt. A lot. When I tried to push myself up, I felt needles tugging at my arms and electrodes around my temples.

"Okay," I mumbled to myself. "This is . . . new."

Looking around, I saw that I was in a white room with medical looking machines, and I was alone. My clothes had been replaced by a white hospital gown. There was no one in sight, nor was there a button to push and get somebody in here to explain what the heck was going on.

Once I gave it some thought, I remembered the incident with Sam, and was nearly sick when I remembered the face he had made. After that, everything was a blur. I had the feeling I had been half-asleep. I rubbed my eyes, and called out

"Is anybody there?" My voice broke as I tried to speak. My mouth felt thick, my body oddly light. "Hello?" I tugged at the tubes piercing my skin. I suddenly realized I couldn't see anything out of my left eye, and reaching up, I felt some kind of contraption, linked by wires to some odd machine, covering the left half of my face. Somebody needed to explain this before I threw a fit.

A door opened from behind me, and I was greeted by the smiling face of Shizune, Tsunade's assistant (or, pig lady). She checked the machines around me, nodded, sat on the stool next to the bed.

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"I have a headache."

"I see. How about your eye? How does it feel?"

"Fine, I guess. What's going on?"

"You collapsed during the interrogation. Kakashi brought you here."

"Oh." _'That guy again, huh.'_ "Can I go now?"

"We have to run a few more tests, but then you can go. You'll be fine."

I didn't reply, and let her look me over. This felt too much like overkill for comfort, but maybe this was what they did with the outdated technology they had; maybe they needed to do all this to make sure there was nothing wrong with me. Who knew? None of it hurt, or felt too uncomfortable, so I decided to be good and bear with it. The best way to keep out of trouble was to cooperate.

Eventually, Shizune told me I was good to go. She removed all the tubes, taping gauze where the needles had pierced my skin, brought my clothes back, and left so I could change. I pulled on my clothes, and remembering something, quickly searched my pockets. Anxiety defused in my chest when my fingers grazed the old photograph. I put on my glasses, so I could finally see clearly, and braided my hair. Once I was ready, I was escorted out of the room, down a hallway, though several locked doors, to finally arrive in the lobby.

The Old Man was waiting for me, not reading his book, which was a rather interesting fact in of itself.

"Yo," I waved lazily. "What'cha doing here?"

He looked at me for a while with his usual blank stare, sighed, and waved me over. "Let's go. I'll walk you home."

Like before, he set out from the hospital at a decent pace, with me trailing along a couple feet behind. I looked up at the sky while we walked, a bit confused by what was happening. "Hey, Old Man?" I piped up.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that. I'm not that old." he replied, wearily sighing. He seemed more tired than usual.

"Yeah, yeah . . . So what happened to me? Why did I end up in the hospital?"

"You collapsed from shock during the interrogation. Do you remember?"

"I remember seeing Sam holding a kid hostage and getting cut down."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling I fell half-asleep afterwards."

"Is that so?"

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"You ought to be more worried about collapsing." he admonished.

"Why? Nothing I could do about it." I shrugged and spread my arms out, enjoying the night breeze. The stars were wonderful in this world, as clear as if we were standing on the tallest mountain. I wondered if the constellations were the same, and silently thought about getting a star map from the library and going star-gazing one night. We could make a trip of it, gather Sakura, Naruto, Irene, some more of their friends, go up on the mountain, and spend the night gazing up at the beautiful stars . . .

"Would you stop saying these things?" His voice lashed out. He turned around, and I stopped when I saw his face, my arms falling to my side. He was actually angry. I didn't think I'd ever seen him with that expression. It was uncanny. "Don't you have family? Friends? There are people who would be devastated if you got hurt."

I suddenly wondered, in light of this, if my story was going to end up being a heart-wrenching one; but surely that wasn't true. I wasn't a gentle, kind-hearted heroine, and not everybody would cry for me. Well, some people would, but I wouldn't be around to see it, so what did I care?

"Are you listening to me?" He said in a low voice, stepping up to me. Evidently he'd been talking while I was thinking. He was suddenly so close I took a step back, looking up at him, bewildered.

"What's with _you_, all of a sudden?"

"How much of a fool can you be?"

"Hey! There's no call for name calling!"

"Don't you realize how worried I was?" he burst out.

"Eh? Huh, no I didn't. It never crossed my mind, actually." My lock of hair popped up. He face-palmed.

"You keep getting into trouble, and saying, 'oh, I can't help it,' and it is making looking after you a great chore. Don't you see how much trouble it is for me when you wander around and collapse all the time? You need . . ."

"I didn't ask you to look after me," I cut across him, my eyes narrowing. My fists clenched. "I don't remember asking you _anything_, actually. You're the one who's always around, not minding your own business. I can take care of myself, I don't need your help, or your pity, or your guilt. If you think it's such a chore, then stop it. Leave me alone. Go back to whatever you were doing. Frankly, you being around is a bother. I really wish you'd cut it out."

His visible eye darkened. He abruptly turned around and walked off; I followed. For the rest of the trip, neither of us spoke. He left me at my apartment with scarcely a goodbye, and disappeared into the shadows.

'_Oh, screw him.'_ I thought spitefully, slamming the door.

I went to sleep, plunging once more into a land where I was half-conscious, where I walked through unending, black space, reaching out, trying to catch that elusive bright figure. When I was young, I used to get strange looks when I said I always had the same dream. It was true; whenever I remembered my dreams, all the way back then, it was always of running, walking, stumbling through empty space, trying to reach that figure. As I grew older, those dreams came less and less frequently, or else I just didn't remember them. I started to dream normal dreams.

But ever since I'd gotten here, I could feel myself running again, towards the figure that held all the answers; the figure that had whispered to me the strange mission I had; the figure that . . . . I stopped myself, as my consciousness fell away. All of this was a dream. I couldn't actually remember any of it. I didn't know anything, except in that strange state between waking and the world of dreams. That world beyond the light . . .

So when I woke up, I was back to being only me, unhaunted by any visions, unperturbed by anything save a vague, nagging feeling that I was forgetting something vital. I dismissed it, as I always did. I had been feeling this way as long as I could remember.

I truly had an awful memory, after all. Who could tell what I had forgotten?

* * *

Midway along the road to the next town, Tsubaki decided to wander off. Deidara had been rolling some clay in his palms, absorbed by the task he hadn't completed in months, when he heard her speak with Sasori.

"I have some business to take care off. Why don't you two go on ahead?"

"Fine with me." Sasori's rough voice answered from inside Hiruko. She didn't wait for Deidara's opinion before walking off into the forest, disappearing with a swish of her back yukata.

"Hey!" Deidara yelled after her, and then clutched his head, grinding his teeth. "Shit, my head hurts, hm."

"That was your own fault, brat. Come along." Sasori started back on the road. Deidara followed after a moment, deciding that running after Tsubaki would not be a good idea in his present state. For the first time in months, the artist duo was back together. They walked side by side, a tense silence stretching between them. It was so unlike before the incident, when they had bantered back and forth (though with some irritation on Sasori's part), talking about art, and occasionally getting Sasori riled up enough to swing Hiruko's tail in a burst of anger. They had had their differences, and their fair share of arguments, but the atmosphere had never felt tense like this.

"Have you been caught up on the mission?" Sasori's voice suddenly grumbled.

"Ah . . . more or less. Tsubaki gave me most of the details, hm."

"Good. Has she given you the other detail, then?"

"About how we've all seen this chick? Yeah, hm."

"She seems to believe the two of us know her better than anyone. Has she said anything in particular to you?"

Deidara thought about their conversation, falling into silence. The way Tsubaki had talked, vaguely suggested something almost unthinkable, but if it was what he was thinking of . . . _'Just because the one precious to you is dead, does not necessarily mean she is gone forever. The laws of reality beyond human comprehension would allow for the return of the dead . . . under certain circumstances._' If she was telling the truth . . . then maybe, just maybe, there was some hope.

Maybe Tenshi wasn't beyond reach after all.

Deidara knew that it was foolish to go on some wild goose chase and expend energy only to be disappointed in the end, but really, what else could he do? Spend his days drinking and picking up women? It would be better to go after that one small, minuscule sliver of hope. He'd made up his mind, when he'd left the bar. He was going to find that Girl with the crimson wings, and see if she really had answers regarding Tenshi. It was all he could do, at this point.

None of this he told Sasori. Deidara had his suspicions of the feelings (a word he would never have thought to associate with the man) Sasori harbored towards Tenshi. It was maddening to think about; he'd never have dreamed he'd compete with the puppet-master over something like this. Art, that could be understood; but a _girl_?

So Deidara rolled more clay between his palms, and gave an answer. "She tried to get me to remember her. Said I should try again when I've sobered up, hm."

"Have you?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Can't remember a thing, hm."

"Useless."

"You're one to talk. Why don't you try remembering? She said the both of us know this chick, so don't expect me to put in all the work, hm."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat." Sasori growled. "This isn't going to be easy. Lady Kiyoko hasn't been clear with her motives for the search, and I trust her bodyguard even less. Be careful around those two. We don't know what their objective is yet."

"Who cares what it is, hm? A mission's a mission."

"Perhaps, not this time. I have a feeling those two know more than they are letting on . . . much, much more."

Deidara was about to give an uninterested reply when a large number of shuriken came flying out of the trees. Sasori blocked them with Hiruko's tail. Deidara yawned, and stretched, a grin etching its way onto his face.

Following the shuriken, about ten ninja sprang out, forming a semi-circle around them. Swords drawn, wearing identical masks painted with a cat-like design, they crouched slightly, ready to attack. Sunlight glinted off the blades. One of them stepped forward and jabbed his weapon at them.

"Where is that woman?" he demanded. "Where has she gone?"

"Do you get what he's talking about, master Sasori?" Deidara said, crossing his arms lazily.

"Not at all."

"Shall I finish them, hm?"

"Don't take too long. I don't like to be kept waiting. And keep one alive for questioning."

"Heh? It's been a while since I got to practice my art. Can't guarantee I'll be able to hold back, hm." The grin spreading Deidara's lips was the one he had always worn before the incident: mischievous, confident, and a touch sadistic. Sasori looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Answer us! Where has that woman gone? Answer and we will leave without a fight."

"Oh? Sorry, but I don't get what you're saying. I guess I'll have to blow you to pieces." The grin widened. "Let's do this, hm!"

He swept his hand out, freeing five birds into the air; he made a handsign, and with a puff of smoke the clay figures sped towards their target. The men in cat masks attempted to scatter, too late.

Deidara burst into laughter, and crashed his hands together. "Art, is a BANG! KATSU!"

The path was lined with craters, soot, rubble, and one or two fallen trees. Nine bodies, scorched black and with missing limbs were scattered about the newly made clearing. Deidara stood over the survivor, hauling him to his feet by the front of his black ninja garb. He had to do this quick, since the guy was about to bite it any minute. His arm was gone; he's soon die of blood loss.

"You went overboard, brat." Sasori complained, Hiruko crawling closer. Deidara made a 'tch' sound at him, throwing his hair over his shoulder.

"I got it done quickly, didn't I?"

"Get on with it."

"Yeah, fine. Oy, you." He turned his attention to the man he held. "Who's that woman you were babbling about? Why did you think she was with us?"

" . . . we saw you three together . . . at the village . . . we tried to follow you, but she slipped away without us noticing . . ." He suddenly seized Deidara's wrist with his remaining arm, squeezing so tightly he nearly let go. "You mustn't let her deceive you . . ."

"Wait, that woman you saw us with, you can't mean . . ." Deidara started to speak, surprised.

"You must not let her deceive you with lies and alluring promises . . . that woman . . . that wretched woman . . ."

Deidara shook him. "Oy, you mean Tsubaki, don't you? Answer, damn it!"

"That white-haired witch . . . Curse her . . ."

"What do you know about her? Come on, talk, hm!"

But the man gave his last breath as Deidara shook him. He threw the body aside with disgust, and grabbed a chunk of fresh clay. Quickly kneading chakra into it, he produced a small bird in his palm. He threw it in the air, made a handsign, and it turned into a huge version of itself in a puff of smoke. Deidara jumped on his ride.

"What do you think you're doing, brat?" Sasori said.

"I'm going to look for her! She can't have gotten far, hm!"

"Why on earth . . ."

"If those guys were after her, there might be more. She could be in danger."

"How is that any of your concern? Get back down here!"

"She's the one who knows the most about the girl we're looking for, it'll be inconvenient if she dies, hm! I'm going on ahead!" Sasori's angry reply was drowned out by the sound of rushing wind as Deidara's bird flapped its winds, rising above the forest. Deidara was determined to find the girl with the crimson wings, and that meant keeping an eye on Tsubaki. Though he had no idea why somebody would want to target _her _of all people.

Deidara soared above the trees into the pure blue sky. He swept his bangs aside, clicking on his scope to try and make out some of the details, but that was no use. The thick trees covered everything. He flew for a couple more minutes, enjoying despite himself the feel of the cold wind through his hair, when he saw an explosion down in the forest. It was close to where he had left Sasori behind. His bird dipped its wings and Deidara rode down, jumping off and landing on a thick tree branch. He quickly climbed down. His eye widened when he took in the sight.

Tsubaki was there, her yukata in one hand, standing over the corpses of fifteen more of the cat-masked people. She whirled towards him when his foot cracked on a branch, but the tension left her when she saw his face.

"Oh. It's just you." she sighed, her posture loosening slightly.

"What was that about? Who are these guys, why are they after you, hm?"

"I take it they attacked you as well. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience." She bowed slightly in his direction.

"You don't have to do that," he replied. "It's no big deal. I got a good fight out of it, hm."

"Is that so? Still, I do apologize. I didn't think they would go after you even if I wasn't there."

"Is that why you left?" Deidara asked, startled that she could have such a reason.

"One reason among others. I didn't intend to involve you in this. It is strictly my own personal business, and has nothing to do with the mission, so please forget about it. I do have some errands to run, and this incident has me running late, so I have to go." She started to walk off.

"Wait!" Deidara called after her. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, here and there. I'll be back soon."

"What about the mission?"

"Get started. You do want to find her, don't you? Now that you have a personal stake in it, I expect you'll work hard for me." She grinned over her shoulder. "I _did_ pay a lot of money to secure this, you know. Don't disappoint me, master Deidara."

He was about to reply when she jumped into the trees and vanished. Deidara was left behind, a little flustered, a little confused, and more than a little ticked off. "Who does she think she is, hm?" he grumbled to himself. He hadn't liked the way she'd said his name; the sound of it crossing her lips bothered him.

He was about to go back when Sasori appeared, looking rather angry (though that may have just been Hiruko).

"There was another one left alive, you incompetent brat." he growled. "He told me that these people come from the mountains west of the Sand, same place as those two, before he died."

"That's odd. I just saw . . ."

"You didn't have to kill the rest," Sasori grumbled. "I could have gotten more out of them. You much of an unrestrained brat can you be?"

"I didn't kill them. It was . . ." Deidara took a good look at the scene in front of him. Craters, soot, signs of explosions just like his, marred the forest; the corpses were partially burned, but most had been killed by long gashes to the torso. He remembered that explosion. "Tsubaki?" he whispered. It wouldn't have been unusual for a regular ninja, one who carried paper bombs, but she had no weapon on her, and no obvious means of carrying any. But then he checked himself by remembering she could very well have small, thin items in the sleeves of her white kimono.

"Are you coming, Deidara?"

"Ah . . . yeah, wait up."

The pair continued on their road back to the base, Deidara wondering about Tsubaki and what she could possibly know, while Sasori observed him out of the corner of his eye. Sasori had witnessed the final exchange of words, and was worried. What had she said to Deidara? What had the white-haired witch said to rouse him from his grief induced apathetic state? He recalled the unpleasant smile she had thrown over her shoulder, both when he provoked her at the tea shop, and right now as she left. Beyond knowing more than she deigned to speak, there was no questioning the fact that she was dangerous . . . and likely controlled more than they realized.


	13. Whispers in a Dark Room

And on, we progress. I've hit a pretty major creative impasse with how I want to organize the events in the plot, more specifically the order in which certain things have to happen. I'm trying to look for the most logical way to move things along, but I'm coming up empty. Not to worry, it'll sort itself out. Eventually. Depending on how much my mind cooperates.

In the meantime, I've been making preparations for a new story, which I might or might not post, because the plot bunnies have laid siege to my brain. It might slow down the updates for this story, which is why I am hesitant to post it. Well, I might, I might not, we'll see.

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible. As I showered, brushed my teeth, pulled on some of my new clothes, and bought breakfast at a small shop down the street, a heavy mass weighed deep in my chest. I knew the feeling. I felt guilty. Why? Because I realized that what the way I had snapped at Kakashi last night was uncalled for. Not that you would catch me apologizing. I didn't regret _thinking _those things, I regretted _saying_ them. I always had unpleasant thoughts, but usually I had enough self-control not to say hurtful things to people's faces.

'_If I meet him, I'll just ignore him,'_ I thought, biting into my sandwich, scuffing my feet on the ground. _'Yeah, just ignore the Old Man. That's what he deserves, saying that. What am I, a kid? If I'm such a bother, leave me alone, dummy, no one's making you. It's your fault, anyway, doing things like that, butting in and getting involved. Don't pity me. Don't look down on me. I don't need your help. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid . . .'_ " . . . Stupid!" I yelled out loud. Curious glances were thrown my way. I blushed, checked myself and continued on my way, breaking out into a quicker pace. _'Why is this bothering me? I know I should have kept my mouth shut, but it's his fault for scolding me like I'm some kid. It's not like I can _help_ collapsing. Stupid Old Man!'_

I chased the thoughts from my mind as I finished my breakfast and got to work. The library was empty this early in the morning; I started my usual morning task of sweeping, and had been doing that for a while, when the head librarian beckoned me over. She led me deeper into the library, to a usually locked room. Opening it for me, she asked me to clean it out, since hardly anyone went there and it accumulated a lot of dust. That last point was emphasized by the visible cloud that emerged, making the two of us cough, when the door was thrown wide open. She patted my on the shoulder and quickly hightailed out of there. I had a suspicion that she really didn't want to do this, and had decided to push the work off on me.

'_Isn't this room out of bounds?'_ I thought as I tied a handkerchief around my mouth and nose and prepared my arsenal of cleaning supplies_. 'Shouldn't somebody else, I don't know, from the village be doing this? Maybe she thinks I'm too dumb to understand anything . . .'_ I frowned, brandishing the duster. This place didn't even have windows. It was going to be _such_ a pain to clean.

I worked as hard as I ever had in my life. The room was large, with several rows of shelves in the middle and more lining the walls, all filled with scrolls, books and files of various sizes. Everything was dusty, covered in cobwebs, dark (the light bulbs were blown), and seriously stuffy. I dusted the shelves, mopped the floor, aired the place out as best as I was able, all the while thinking what this place needed was a good power washing and a dose of bleach. Some stains had been there for probably decades, and looked suspiciously like blood.

After some time, the cloth around my face wasn't enough; my eyes were watering, and I couldn't help but cough. As I stumbled my way out of the room, my shoulder knocked into a shelf, and a scroll fell. It bounced off my head and onto the floor. Without thinking I picked it up and jammed it in the pocked of my hoodie. I burst out in a cloud of dust, in time for the head librarian to catch my eye, give me a thumbs up, and scamper off. I have never hated anyone more than in that moment.

I fell back against the wall with a relieved sigh and slid to the floor, taking the handkerchief off my face. I breathed in fresh air, and it was the sweetest thing in the world. I then remembered the scroll I'd accidentally taken. Out of curiosity, or to pass the time before having to dive back into that dusty hellhole, I opened it, and started to read.

It was a report on something called 'kekkei genkai'-bloodline limits. Genetically based chakra controlling abilities, they presented themselves in several forms: there was the ability to use two types of elemental chakra at once, combining them to create a new type. There was Ice style, Wood style, Lava style, Explosion style . . . with a list of known clans and notable living people able to use them, making it fairly extensive, so I skipped most of it (it was too boring, and trying to read the names was a lot of work). Next, it described the three kinds of Dojutsu, or eye techniques. There was little information on the Rinnegan, only a description (violet, with a ripple pattern-sounded familiar). The Byakugan and its abilities were very well documented; the ones who possessed it were the Leaf village's Hyuga Clan-this explained the bug eyed look of Hinata and Neji. Finally, there was the Sharingan. There was only a basic description (red, with a triple black comma pattern), and a short list of those who wielded it, so short it was only a handful of names: Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake . . . and that was it. Where it really got interesting, was the note added, next to the part where it said that the Leaf's Uchiha clan was the possessor of the Sharingan, in ink still old but fresher than the rest: the entire clan had been annihilated by Itachi Uchiha, the only known survivor being Sasuke Uchiha. Skipping over how a whole clan could have been destroyed by a single person (seriously, how freakishly strong _was_ this guy?), the bare bones format of the information was odd. If the clan was part of the village, then like the Byakugan, it should have been very well documented. Yet, there was nothing useful here. Either these Uchiha people hadn't gotten along very well with whoever wrote this document, or they were seriously isolated from the rest of the village. Well, before one of their own murdered them. That didn't say much about these people's mental stability.

I remembered hearing about the Uchiha as I went about town, more specifically when I had been warned to avoid the deserted Uchiha district. I hadn't known the reason for it being deserted, and hadn't really cared. Now that I knew, I wanted to go there even less. But then, I was a bit curious about Itachi Uchiha. I pictured him as a crazy old loner with a sword, maybe an overgrown beard and glasses, probably wanted for a good amount of cash.

So, instead of continuing to clean (why bother, I was never going to finish anyway-lack of ventilation) I looked through the scrolls and books. I had to cover my face again, and keep a duster at the ready in case the head librarian happened to walk by, but I managed to at least peruse most of the documents. What became obvious, after not very long, was that whatever records happened to have been shoved in here (there was no order to speak of) were old. At least five to ten years. Judging by the state of wear, the scroll I had first read was on the recent side of the spectrum. The conclusion was, whatever information contained here was likely to be outdated, which actually made more sense. It explained why they allowed an outsider in; even if I was a spy, what the heck was I supposed to do with decade old records? This room must be the place where they keep all the old shit they didn't necessarily want to get rid of, but still wanted out of the way.

No matter the antiquated state of the documents, I found something useful for my present case. The shock it gave me was . . . quite excessive. I pulled out an old 'bingo book,' dated about eight to nine years, a kind of repertoire of wanted ninja. In it, I found the man called 'Itachi Uchiha.'

He wasn't what I was expecting. For one, he was young, and quite handsome. The picture was taken when he was around my age, and he was wearing the Anbu uniform. What shocked me most was when, following an extensive period of just staring at the faded paper with a deepening frown, I realized exactly where I had seen him before.

I jammed my hand in my pocket, pulled out the photograph that had been pinned under the Machine, dropped it, watched it flutter under the shelf, scrambled down in the dust, reached underneath, heard somebody enter the room, instinctively bolted for the dark corner, book and picture held tight in my arms, hunkered down, and tried to pretend I didn't exist.

"Does Princess Tsunade still insist on doing nothing?" The first voice was that of a stern, old woman; she kinda reminded me of a type of stuck up sour lipped governess in Old England. There was rustling as she looked among the shelves.

"With this recent incident, she will be forced to act. Locking all these children up, as Danzo desires, would be a little extreme . . . but allowing them to run loose is asking for incidents like this to happen again." The second speaker was an old man.

"I am beginning to believe that Lord Danzo has the right of it. These children are nothing but trouble. Rather than keeping them around, perhaps we ought to get rid of them altogether."

My breath hitched.

"No, we must remember they are only children. In any case, there might be some use for them. Their bodies are peculiar. I never knew it was possible for humans to live without chakra networks. I am sure Orochimaru would be fascinated by them."

"I wouldn't put it past that snake to know of their existence already. Either lock them up, or get rid of them, I have little preference as long as something is done. Letting them roam about as they please is good neither for the village nor their own safety . . . now if only Princess Tsunade would see it. Oh, here it is." There was more rustling as the woman pulled a scroll off the shelf.

"She is still inexperienced. She lacks the perspective to fairly judge what she sees."

"She ought to listen to our opinions more often. We are, after all, the Konoha Council. We are to give our advice concerning the welfare of the village. Now, our people are starting to mistrust the Children . . . Rumors are starting to spread, and this cannot be good for anyone."

"You mean, about the boy who recently died?"

"Yes. I will not repeat such ill whispers, but know that very few keep a good opinion of the intruders."

They left, and I stayed in the corner, my hand over my mouth to stifle my rapid breathing. I had to calm down. Nothing good would come out of getting upset. Of course people would start to talk, wasn't that the normal course of action when strange people were beamed down from the sky? I could reason through this as much as I could, but the overpowering fear that they might throw us out came over me. What were we supposed to do? We didn't know anything about this world, we'd be hopelessly lost.

Then again, what if they decided to lock us up, or worse . . . get rid of us? I'd dismissed the possibility because of their kind treatment towards us, but if people started clamoring for us to be dealt with, how would the Hokage react? Would we be safer outside the village? I had no idea. The only thing I knew for certain was that we had to find a way home.

My thought turned back to the two pictures, and I concentrated on them, glad to have something to occupy my mind. Again I looked at the face of Itachi Uchiha, compared him with the man with the long black hair in the old picture, and could not doubt that they were the same person; the second being older, and looking a lot wearier, but nonetheless the same.

This meant that the people in the picture were probably all from this world . . . which made a lot of sense, considering the eccentric or downright bizarre appearances of some of them.

"So Grandma met the people who traveled here . . . maybe this 'Akatsuki' organization is made up of these guys?" I mumbled to myself. "That makes sense . . . Grandma probably talked about them with Doctor Blanche, who then worked on her theories and made the Machine . . . yeah, that scenario works."

So far, the only person I knew the name of was Itachi Uchiha, so I would be reorienting my search towards him, while still keeping my mind angled towards this 'Akatsuki' business.

"Weird organization, isn't Grandma? To think you'd be friends with them." I sweat dropped just thinking about it. What could that relationship have been like? "They've got a shark guy, handsome mass murderer, girl-look-alike, wooden guy, two masochistic weirdoes with piercings and stitches, an albino, and three pretty girls. What is this, a circus?"

I tore the picture of Itachi Uchiha out of the old bingo book and put it with the old photograph safely back in my pocket. With that out of the way, and nothing to think about but the unknown way my circumstances would progress from now on, I thought about my family. I wondered if Jason was eating properly and getting enough sleep; I wondered how much mom and dad must be looking for me; I wondered at what kind of panic had been going on at the facility where the Machine had disappeared; I wondered if they'd given up the search already.

Fighting back tears, I huddled in the dark corner, and started talking to myself in a hoarse, muffled whisper. I told myself to stop crying and stop thinking about useless things; that I needed to stay focused and find a way home; that crying was useless, because no one was going to come and save me; that I could only rely on myself, so I had to stand tall and keep going, no matter what happened, and not be frightened or discouraged; I reminded myself why giving up must never be an option: if you give up, failure is assured, so keep going no matter what the odds may be. I only half believed all of this stuff, and some of it was outright stupidity, but I had to tell that to myself to be able to cope with what was happening. I had to convince myself that I could stand, and keep moving. The only truth I needed was that we _had_ to find a way home. With the other students taking all this so badly, some even losing their minds, and the distinct impression that we'd outstayed our welcome, more than ever before, I needed to stand strong.

Finally, I believed in myself enough to stand up, wipe my eyes, and return to my task. Right now, I had to clean this room.

"Alright!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air. "Let's do this . . . _cough cough_!" Damn dust . . .

* * *

Tsubaki rushed through the forest, jumping from tree to tree. She gripped her hand tightly across the spreading red stain on her side, fingers digging into the fabric. Underneath her bangs, red dripped down her eyebrow, over her cheekbone, and slid down her cheek, forcing one eye closed. She landed on a branch, missed her footing, and nearly fell. She caught herself against the trunk. Breathing heavily, she slid down, leaning against the bark, and taking deep, even breaths. Red spread over her fingers, wet and cold.

"This should be far enough . . ." she whispered. "I don't think they'll come after me now. Damn flies . . . always buzzing around, can't get anything done . . . attacking when I was already weakened . . . ugh!" Her fingers twitched against her wound. She pressed harder, shivering with the fresh wave of pain. "Gotta get back to Kiyoko . . ."

Tsubaki stayed there for some time, until the sun was nearing the horizon and clouds darkened the sky so that it felt like twilight. Rain fell in a sudden shower, cascading down the leaves and branches. A couple of drops made their way to her still figure, into her hair and dripping on her bare shoulder and legs. The red at her side ceased to spread. Her fingers relaxed. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

"That one was hard to defeat . . . I attracted too much attention, that's how they found me. I wish Kiyoko had been there, with her barriers . . . Are those guys getting along? They should be half-way back to the base by now."

She coughed harshly. A trickle of blood beaded on her lip. She wiped it along with the trickle coming from her forehead, smearing red over her cheek and stray strands of hair. She listened to the melody created by the falling rain and sighed again, content with the results of the battle even though she had taken so much damage as a result.

"I got hurt, but it was worth it . . . I got another one."

She raised the hand that was not clutching her wound, delicately holding a marble sized object up to the faint light. Round, shimmering bloody red, the jewel she held between her fingers was hauntingly beautiful. Her lips twisted into something resembling a smile as she looked upon it.

So she stayed, resting, while the rain fell with the darkness.

* * *

I've got two more chapters in reserve, after which I hit the block I mentioned above. That gives me two weeks to come up with a solution . . . boy is this going to require some thought. It's all the more maddening as I've recently come to a conclusion for a finale, which I was previously agonizing over. *sigh*

In the meantime, as always, please review. I've received some extremely nice comments lately, both here and on An Angel a Devil and the Akatsuki (you know who you are), and they really spur me on. Thank you.

Peace out.


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